Solution
by IggyTheKoopaling
Summary: Iggy Koopa will do everything to help his siblings out. He tried to fix his older brother feet mutation with all his inventions, failing miserably, until he heard about the Starpower Gem, that grants one wish to the owner. But he will notice he won't be only his brother's hero.
1. A Person to Be With

**Author's Note:**

 **This is my first fanfiction, and it's finally here!**

 **This story is mainly about the koopalings.**

 **I had this fanfiction's idea in a dream (yeah I'm crazy eh eh), but it's pretty long, or at least I guess so.**

 **Rated T to be safe. It may or may not contain violence.**

 **Disclaimer: I just own the plot and the OCs.**

 **Alright, Let's-a-go!**

* * *

 **Solution**

 **Chapter 1: A Person to Be With**

* * *

It began the same way every other week. A dreary, cloudy day in the Dark Land kingdom.

In said kingdom, the Koopa Castle hallways were silent. Only the sound of the water dripping and hitting ground and building could be heard. Inside was the same as outside- the long, winding hallways were dead. Not a servant seemed to be in sight.

The silence was soon disturbed by a very small, orange spike-shelled koopa passing by. His name was Lemmy Koopa, and he was 16. He was one of eight of King Bowser's children. Despite his age, he was the smallest of his siblings. Sporting his trademark Mohawk and small ponytail- multicolored and bright as the circus ball he used as his main mode of transportation, he rolled along trying to find anyone to play with him.

His first try was going to be to his younger brother Iggy Koopa, but he had recalled him saying earlier he'd be busy most of the day, and didn't want anyone to disturb him. Lemmy was curious, and wondered what crazy experiment he'd be working on, but decided to honor his brother's wishes and leave him be.

Rolling along, he soon reached his other younger brother Larry's room, and figured, _'Maybe he'll play with me... he's usually playing video games on days like this anyways.'_ So he knocked on the door and waited.

"Who's there?" Larry said from inside the room.

"Lemmy. Can I come in?"

Larry slowly opened the door, and let Lemmy walk in. Even years later, Larry's room was still, more or less, the same.

His room was large for a koopaling his size and age. There was a king-sized bed decorated with black and blue sheets and pillows on it, a large wooden desk with a navy desk lamp on it, along with some scattered papers, pencils and his DJ headset, a rather over sized and empty walk in closet, and his personal bathroom off to the right.

Larry Koopa sat in a large, furry blue chair in front of his paused video game. He was the seventh of Bowser's legacy, and was the second youngest in the clan, at 11 years of age. Even with the five year age gap between himself and Lemmy, he was slightly taller.

He had a sky blue Mohawk-type hairstyle, and his trademark- two blue stars at the side of his head. His spiked shell was light blue, and his eyes were blue.

Larry's pastime was spent looking for new ways to cheat at just about... well, anything, and playing pranks on his siblings. Despite loving being a winner, he enjoys sports and videogames just for the fun of it. At an early age, he began dabbling in music, and became one of the youngest Techno DJs in Koopatropolis. On his free time, he played as a DJ in a spot known as the Electrodrome.

Larry was actually worried when Lemmy came knocking at the door. He had noticed everyone somewhat avoiding him, and figured he was coming to talk to him about it. "So, what's up? You alright, my bro?" Larry asked as Lemmy looked around sheepishly.

"I'm.. well, I'm just bored, that's all." Lemmy answered, trying not to give away too much. Larry smiled at him.

"I was just playing the Wii U. Wanna play with?" Larry asked.

"I don't like video games, remember?" Lemmy replied, shaking his head. Larry groaned and slapped his forehead.

"Yeah, you're totally right..." he said. "But I've gotten really far and since it's raining out, I... kinda wanted to finish this tonight... sorry, bro." Larry said, sincerely apologetic.

Lemmy was disappointed, but shook it off and gave Larry a small, understanding nod. "I get it. Good luck with that, and I'll see you later then."

Watching his brother roll his way out of the room, Larry called out, "See ya later! Sorry about that, man!"

Lemmy left Larry's room and began his search anew. As he rolled past the gym, he heard what appeared to be workout music and the one koopa he really didn't want to be bothered with at the moment.

 _'Roy's in there, and I don't want to bother him. I guess I should try Morton next...'_

Roy Koopa was the third oldest at 15 years of age, and considerably the biggest of his siblings. He had a pink, bald head, two fang-like teeth in the upper of his mouth, and a purple spiked shell. His trademark, his pink sunglasses, was like a third skin for him, next to his shell. Due to his sensitive eyesight, Kamek had them affixed to his face in a sense, unless he was taking a shower or sleeping, in which case he could remove them.

Being the biggest gave a reason- at least to Roy- to bully his older and younger siblings. He despised the color pink, but because he was born with it, chose to live with it his own way- beating anyone who dared to say anything on it.

Lemmy already knew Roy hated being bothered while in the gym, so he kept moving, and eventually reached his brother Morton Jr.'s bedroom.

Morton Koopa Junior, named after his grandfather, King Morton Koopa Senior, was the sixth of Bowser's son, being 12 years old. Physically, he looked nothing like his family- he had a strange birthmark: a star- shaped marking on his left eye, brown skin, and only three hairs standing atop a round, white head. He had four big teeth on the upper of his mouth, two on each side. His spiked shell was black, and his eyes were black.

Since he could talk, Morton gained a nickname from just about everyone in his family: Big Mouth. Morton tended to ramble on... and on... and ON... and usually spent far too long to describe one minute of ANY one event, driving everyone in the castle insane. He also loved eating, especially when he was bored or when the weather was too bad to go outside.

As he walked, he noted the steady beat of the raindrops moving, and smiled to himself. It sounded nice.

Lemmy knocked lightly, thinking Morton was up chattering to himself as usual. When he got no reply, he knocked again, harder this time. There was still no reply.

"Oh, jeez..." Lemmy muttered to himself, banging harder than the last, getting somewhat annoyed. "Come on! Wake up, Morton!" Lemmy shouted angrily.

All he got in response was the echo of his own voice. Lemmy thought for a moment then snapped his fingers. _'He's gotta be in the kitchen. He does tend to eat more when it rains...'_

Even thought he dreaded his next option, he sighed and began heading toward the only young sister he had. He paused, still staring at the bright pink door which differed her from her seven brothers.

 _'Here goes...'_ he thought as he knocked lightly on the door.

"Daddy, did you get the dress I asked you for?" A quite low voice came from inside the room. He hated when Wendy did that. _'Such a spoiled brat, I tell you...'_ Lemmy thought, slightly annoyed, but took a deep breath to make his presence known.

"It's Lemmy, can I enter?" Lemmy asked carefully.

"GO AWAY! I'M WAITING FOR DAD, NOT FOR YOU!" Wendy said angrily. Lemmy rolled his eyes and left without another word.

Wendy O. Koopa was the fifth of Bowser's child, and she was the only female child. She was 13. Her spiked shell was pink, and her eyes were blue. She wanted to be the prettiest princess in the universe, but she was just a spoiled, over-dramatic brat in the boy's eyes. She always asked, and she always got. If something wasn't going how she planned in her mind, she was going to throw tantrums till she got what she wanted.

While she didn't completely hate her siblings, Wendy was VAIN. The one thing she hated and would kill her brothers for- when they pointed out her unusually bald head. To cover that, she always left with a huge, bright pink bow... which no one could figure out how she ever got on.

Running out of options and feeling more sad than bored, Lemmy decided to try his only older brother Ludwig's room. Ludwig von Koopa was the eldest of Bowser's children at 17 years of age. He was the potential heir to the Royal Koopa throne, and the strongest magician in the family. His hair was insanely wild and blue, and he had just one tooth smack in the middle of his mouth. His spiked shell was blue, and his eyes were black.

Ludwig loves to think he's a perfect... everything. Being a classical music lover despite being deaf at the age of four, he felt he had a great talent for music, a tabloid his family didn't agree to one bit. He loathed when people disturbed him from creating his 'Koopa Symphonies' if there was no need for it, which seemed to be almost all the time. He also refused to admit they were terrible since he was somewhat tone deaf as a side effect of losing his hearing for a full year. Nonetheless he cared for his family. Roy in particular just liked to annoy him a lot.

He rolled along once more for a few minutes, and soon found him in his music room. The door was slightly left open, so Lemmy knocked.

"Lemmy, how many times I told you to not disturb me while I'm playing my music?! It was just getting perfect till you came and ruined EVERYTHING!" Ludwig said angrily.

"Yikes! Luddy, I'm sorry-" Lemmy quickly regretted saying that, and bolted when he noticed his brother's eyes starting to glow blue.

"How many times have I told you to not call me THAT!" Ludwig screamed, his voice booming down the hall and in Lemmy's head. He thanked his lucky stars, as a blue fireball singed the wall where he had just been.

 _'... I better let him cool off...'_ Lemmy thought sadly as he sat in the middle of the hallway, realizing he had two options left, neither of which would help him: Bowser Junior, his youngest brother, and Iggy.

Lemmy quickly scratched Junior off his list. He knew he'd be with their father, like he was any other day.

Bowser Junior, called Junior by his family, was the last and the youngest of the Royal Family at eight years of age. He strongly resembled Bowser the most, right down to his stubborn spirit, and like Wendy, got whatever he wanted... mostly since he was the favorite.

Lemmy bit his lip and decided to check on Iggy to see if he wanted to play with him yet. He hoped he would. Since Iggy's bedroom was not far from where he was, he rolled over and knocked. The door creaked open and Lemmy stuck his head in.

"Huh? He's not here... oh yeah! He's in his lab!" he remembered. Walking carefully through his brother's room, he pushed open a door which lead to another door- a metal one- that blocked entry to Iggy's lab. As Iggy hated when his family barged in without knocking, and because Roy did it anyways, he changed the door to metal which could only be opened from the inside.

Lemmy knocked and waited for a reply. "Yes, who's there? I'm kinda busy right now!" a voice yelled from the other side.

Lemmy chuckled. "It's me, Lemmy. Can I play with you now?" he asked, hopeful his brother finally had some free time for him.

"Ohhhh, Lem! Perfect timing! Come in, I have a gift for you!" Iggy replied. Lemmy wondered what it could be as he waited for Iggy to open the door and let him in.

* * *

 **First chapter done! Woohoo. I can't believe that I just submitted my first story!**

 **I would like to thank 'LuigiWife1551' for the beta read! Thank you so much :3**

 **Please leave a review or PM me if you have any question, advice or something like that.**

 **See ya~ Ah Ah!**


	2. Talking with Iggy

**Author's Note:**

 **Chapter 2 is out finally! I didn't except all those people to like my fanfiction :o Thank you all!**

 **Disclaimer: I just own the plot and the OCs.**

 **Alright, Let's-a-go!**

* * *

 **Solution**

 **Chapter 2: Talking with Iggy**

* * *

Iggy slowly opened the door, and let Lemmy walk in.

Iggy Koopa was the fourth oldest at 14 years of age, and the tallest of his siblings. He had four big teeth on the upper of his mouth, two on each side. His spiked shell was green, and his eyes were blue.

For some strange reason, Iggy felt the need to change his once Mohawk style into one that was... well, still strange but fitting given his mental stability. It was green and reminded his family of a palm tree. Due to his falling vision from staring into powerful UV lights too long as an infant, he also donned a pair of glasses. He is an inventor, a scientist and a mathematician... although a lot of his inventions don't always go to plan.

In the lab, Lemmy quickly felt the burn from the overly-illuminated room. Squinting to find his brother, he spotted a table with some equipment and instruments in the middle of the lab. At the room's sides, there were some counters, sinks and boxes, some of which looked like it was filled with chemicals inside.

As Lemmy put an hand over his eyes because the light was too strong, and gagged because the smell was sickening, Lemmy realized he hadn't seen Iggy in almost two days. Whatever he had to have been working on must have been really important that he didn't eat.

"Hey Lemmy!" he called, waving what appeared to be a wrench. He smirked before he resumed his project. Lemmy came over and blinked repeatedly, trying to get used to the lights. Once he did, he could clearly see his lanky brother's frame twisting away before he stood up and pushed off his goggles.

"Jeez, Iggy! Since when was the last time you slept!?" Lemmy asked, terrified as he continued looking at his brother's eye sockets. Iggy shrugged.

"Two days." he replied with a tired voice. He yawned, and chuckled sheepishly as Lemmy glared at him.

"Why didn't you go to bed then? You know you can't focus on work when you're tired and hungry! You haven't even been coming for breakfast or lunch, Iggy!"

"I know that!" Iggy exclaimed. "But I needed to complete this as fast as possible!" he added while grabbing his new invention from under a cloth.

"What's that?" Lemmy asked questioningly.

"I, uh... I decided to call it the 'W.D.N.57.'" Iggy said, showing his new invention to his brother. Lemmy grew nervous and a little bit guilty; he knew what the abbreviation stood for... yet again.

"Another one... you think this one will work?" Lemmy asked, excited but very much scared.

W.D.N.57 stands for Walking Device Number 57, since it was the 57th of its kind.

Iggy helped Lemmy attach it to the bottom of his his feet. That device was square-shaped, as far as the tiny koopaling could tell.

"Come on, Lemmy! Try to walk!" Iggy said excited.

Lemmy started to walk. One step... it was fine. He took another. Then another. Pretty soon, he was slowly but surely able to walk about his brother's lab, which gave Lemmy hope he hadn't felt in years.

"This really works! Thank you so much Iggy! I can't believe it!" Lemmy said happily.

Of course, all good things must come to an end... and this was no exception. After some steps, the machine began to spark, and Lemmy grew fearful it would burn the soles of his feet. He quickly kicked them off, and it flew into the wall, giving off a tiny explosion as it now sat in a pile of junk.

Both boys stared at the pile before Lemmy shook his head and sighed. "It's alri-"

Iggy's cry abruptly cut him off. "Noo! It can't be!" Iggy sank to the ground, tears filling his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. "I had it perfectly built... it should've worked... it should've worked!"

"Iggy, don't worry. It's just a foot mutation. I can live with it, I think…" Lemmy said, trying to calm himself and his brother. They were both dissaponted for obvious reasons, but Lemmy had begun to learn to live with his deformity.

Iggy wasn't buying it. He was frustrated. "Why do you have to live a life that isn't what you really wanted, Lemmy?!" Iggy cried. "You can't do a lot of things, and you always need help for the stupidest of things! If it wasn't for your stupid feet!"

Lemmy got astonished by his brother's words for this reason and this one only: no one, not even him, cared so much about wanting to make Lemmy's life bearable and allow him to live like a normal koopa. He was shocked at how much effort his brother put into each invention, no matter what happened after the test drive.

Iggy was perfectly right, of course, and Lemmy knew that. For now, he just wanted Iggy to calm down. "Iggy, I understand you want to make my life better, and I appricate it a lot more than you know." he said, kneeling rather uncomfortably next to him. "But think about this. What really makes me happy is-"

Lemmy stopped when someone knocked at the lab's door. "Master Ignatius, dinner is ready." A koopa servant said from behind the lab's door.

"Me and Iggy are coming! Give us a minute!" Lemmy replied. He focused back on his brother, who was depressed and brooding on the ground. Iggy nodded to acknowledge what his brother had said, and Lemmy decided that he needed to have this conversation when Iggy wasn't so agitated.

"Iggy, we will continue this talk later. But please take a rest after dinner, okay?" Lemmy begged his brother.

"Yeah, okay…" Iggy said quietly. Lemmy sighed and approached the door.

"What's wrong?" Lemmy turned to see Iggy still sitting in his spot. Iggy answered by getting up and shuffling towards the door to let them out.

"Nothing." Iggy replied, getting out of the lab with Lemmy. "Let's go eat."

They started to follow the koopa servant that was leading them to the dining room. Iggy then remembered something, even though it wasn't the best of moods to bring it up in.

"Lemmy, you should look at this. I never showed this to you." Iggy lifted his left hand.

"Look at my left spiked bracelet." Iggy removed his left handcuff and showed what was hidden inside. Lemmy arched his eyebrow.

"What's that? Seems like a door." Lemmy said. Iggy's signature smirk appeared, and Lemmy was glad to see it as his little brother got excited talking about his invention.

"Yeah. If you press the spike over it, a mini robotic spider will get out of the door." Iggy explained.

"That sounds fantastic!" Lemmy said. It was then Iggy's expression changed to earlier, and he lowered his hand.

"There are three problems. One is that it takes a lot of time to make, and it can only be used once. Two, I didn't test it yet, so I don't know if it works." Iggy said with a sad voice. "The third problem, is that it is useless… "

"Everything has an use, Iggy. Just wait for the right time and place." Lemmy replied.

"If it works." Iggy said, placing his handcuff where he had it. "But... can you not tell the others about this invention? Especially Roy."

"You think they will just destroy it?" Lemmy asked. Iggy looked down.

"Kind of. They all... seem hate me." Iggy was clearly in a sad mood. Lemmy disagreed.

"Why you think that? I'm the one that is hated by everyone. I'm useless after all…"

"No you're not... I can't even help you and I'm supposed to be your brother..." Iggy muttered.

"Iggy, that's not true. You should know that already. You have more purpose to this family than I'll ever have."

The lanky koopaling chose to say nothing. Silence carried on for the last five minutes until they approached the dining room's big door. It was wide open, and they could see all of their siblings and their father sitting by the table already.

Iggy felt even more awkward and uncomfortable as the two walked in.

"Iggy, you okay?" Lemmy whispered. Iggy nodded, and they took their seat silently. The only things that could be heard were the rain drops outside the castle, and the wood that was burning in the fireplace.

* * *

 **What will happen now? Stay tuned!**

 **I would like to thank 'LuigiWife1551' for the beta read! Thank you so much :3**

 **Please leave a review or PM me if you have any question, advice or something like that.**

 **See ya~ Ah Ah!**


	3. Questions Without Answers

**Author's Note:**

 **Yay third chapter! I had fun writing this ^-^**

 **School starts soon, so I won't have much time to write, but that doesn't mean I won't write at all :o**

 **Disclaimer: I just own the plot and the OCs.**

 **Alright, Let's-a-go!**

* * *

 **Solution**

 **Chapter 3: Questions Without Answers**

* * *

Once the boys entered and sat, a few koopa servants started to serve food and drinks to the koopa family, who was obviously agitated from the long wait.

"We had to wait for ya' to start eatin', you lil stupid weaklings." Roy said offensively to Iggy and Lemmy. No one actually answered.

Soon, everyone had pasta laid out on decorative dinner plates. But of course, the only girl in the family started complaining almost immediately.

"Who made this TRASH!" Wendy shouted. "I want him FIRED NOW!"

"Come on, Wendy. No one cares." Ludwig said, just wanting to eat and resume his music making. Wendy glared at him.

"I do. Shut up Luddy!" Wendy shouted violently at the oldest koopaling. Ludwig's patience flew out the window, and he jumped up in rage.

"Don't call me THAT again, and don't tell me what to do, or you will taste my FURY!" Ludwig yelled back. Everyone was there watching, Iggy and Lemmy simply choosing to say nothing.

"Like ya' can do something. Ya' can't even beat the weaklings up!" Roy said laughing at Ludwig.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Bowser finally roared. The King was AGITATED, and he was getting a headache to boot. "IF YOU DON'T STOP WITH THIS I'LL PUT YOU ALL TO THE DUNGEON!"

All the koopalings got scared, since the dungeon was dark and full of dust and spiders. It had nothing, not even a bed to sleep onto. The kids had heard about it from various members of the Koopa Patrol who got sent down there, and decided they didn't want to know what it was like to be down there... ever.

"HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?!" he roared once more. All the koopalings nodded in unison, even Ludwig and Roy. Soon the family begun to eat. After some quiet eating, Bowser decided to bring up a rather tired out subject to his family.

"So, one of these days we will try to kidnap Princess Peach." Bowser said.

 _'Not again…'_ Larry spoke in his mind. He simply couldn't say that with his voice. His father wouldn't take it easy. Frankly, none of them didn't want to admit that their father's kidnapping plans never work out too well.

"Any questions?" Bowser asked to his children. Almost everyone shook their heads.

"Can the weaklings stay at home? They are just a useless weight." Roy proposed.

 _'I wish it could be true…'_ Lemmy thought in his mind.

"No one is a weakling here." Bowser explained to his children.

"I know you think that I'm a weakling, don't lie Father." Lemmy replied. Bowser looked in his direction but said nothing... yet.

"Are you sure, Lemmy?"

Lemmy started thinking. _'Do he really thinks I'm not a weakling? Whenever he needs help with something, he always ask Ludwig, Roy, Morton and even Junior. Why doesn't he ask me to help him? And even if I was not a weakling in his eyes, if he would ask me for help, would I be strong enough? Who knows, it's something so hard to think about...'_

After five minutes of silence, Roy was bored and was looking for someone to bully, or at least, an opportunity to bully someone.

Wendy was just trying to eat what she called trash, Larry was eating silently, Morton had his mouth full of food, Junior was speaking with Bowser, Ludwig was just trying to write his 'Koopa Symphonies'. Lemmy was eating, slowly but eating.

Then he looked at Iggy. Said koopaling was silent and he had a blank stare as he stared at his food in silence. He wasn't hungry, still upset about his latest failed attempt to help his older brother.

Roy smirked. THIS was an opportunity too good to miss.

"Whassup Iggy, too tired to eat?" Roy offensively laughed. Iggy started to shake slightly and fought back the urge not to cry.

 _'Why am I the weakling? Why am I so useless to everyone? To Lemmy?_ ' Iggy thought sadly. He barely noticed Roy taunting him, or everyone else staring at him trying to see why he wasn't speaking to anyone.

"Leave him alone, Roy! Don't you see he isn't in the mood!?" Lemmy angrily pointed out to his bully brother.

"Oh, seems like the weakling needs the big brother to help him? Ya' both are so weak!" Roy was starting to laugh harder, and it was then everything Roy was saying finally hit Iggy hard.

Iggy jumped off his chair, and walked out of the dining room. He was seething with rage, but he couldn't control his emotions either. He needed some time alone.

"Are you happy now?!" Lemmy said angrily to his younger but stronger brother.

"Oh seems like big bro left his lil bro alone. How careless…" Roy provoked Lemmy. He moved closer to Lemmy and poked him in his tiny chest.

"That's enough!" Lemmy jumped off his chair, hopped off his circus ball with a jump, landing on the bully's face. Soon him and Roy began getting into a light scrap.

"What the hell? Get off! I will kill ya'!" Roy screamed in pain. Lemmy felt something running down his chin, and with everything he had in him, he punched Roy in his mouth.

"You need to be taught a lesson, jerk!" Lemmy screamed back. Bowser, while impressed his second oldest finally took some offensive action, was pissed off. He got up and stormed over to the two feuding koopalings.

"STOP IT! Lemmy, for your behavior, you just earned yourself a night in the dungeon!" Bowser snapped, pulling Lemmy off Roy. Roy was still seething mad, and wiped blood off his face.

"You just ruined everything on the best part!" Larry had the courage to speak, which he quickly regretted.

"Okay, smarty pants. Larry will be joining you as well!" Bowser roared while approaching Larry.

"That's not fair!" Larry started to cry.

"You have to learn how to behave!" Bowser said while leading his two sons to the dungeon. Before he exited, he turned to glare at his other children.

"Anyone else?!" No one uttered a peep. Satisfied, Bowser took Larry and Lemmy and stormed out. Ludwig shook his head.

"He is the one that needs to behave, especially when it comes to Princess Peach." Ludwig muttered, making all his other siblings laugh. He was lucky; Bowser didn't heard that.

Iggy paused and listened to the commotion as he watched his father walking the opposite direction. He sighed, feeling worse than he had already felt.

 _'For me... Lemmy went to the dungeon because of me? Why? Why me... why do you care about me, Lemmy. I'm useless to you.'_ Iggy thought bitterly, as approaching his room's door.

Once Iggy opened the door to his room, he closed it and slid down the ground, his shaking increasing. He was upset for reasons he wished he could make sense of.

The room was rather small compared to his siblings, because he had most of his things in his lab. His room was square shaped, and had a king sized bed in front of the door. Next to the bed there was a window and a desk with some paper and pens on the right. There was a door that leaded to the bathroom and a wardrobe on the left.

Iggy breathed in, and breathed out before he stood up and approached the window. He opened it and stared. Nothing but torrential rain pour could be heard, nothing but dark clouds could be seen. The breeze was calming to him, even though it made it shudder. The rain pelted on his face, and he couldn't help it. He let tears mix with the rainwater as he looked out the window.

 _'Who am I, really? What use am I to my family? Why am I a weakling? I can't help Lemmy or anyone... I don't understand...'_

Iggy sighed and wiped his face. The rain felt cool and it slowly relaxed his tense body. _'I have to help him. Even if my family finds me weak, Lemmy... he deserves to live a normal life. But how? What am I missing...?'_

He then got an idea, and he looked in the direction of his closet, which usually housed random pieces of junk, before he walked over and flung the door open. He didn't care he was wet and shivering; he had an idea and he needed to know if it would work!

 _'Maybe if I search in the library for a book about famous inventors or scientists, I could learn something! Or at the least, get a better picture of how to find a way to help Lemmy finally become normal.'_

Iggy pushed his junk and other things away to reveal a secret passage that lead to the Koopa Castle's library. When his father had built this castle, for some reason, Iggy's bedroom housed the only other way to safely enter the library without being seen. He wasn't sure if it was fate he was meant to have this room, but he was thankful he got it. He nervously swallowed before he firmly took ahold of the knob and pulled the door shut behind him.

 _'Or…. I hope so. Lemmy don't worry, you won't suffer anymore….I promise. I'll find a way to make this right.'_

Iggy carefully made his way into the narrow, dark passageway, determined to help Lemmy at any cost.

* * *

 **What will Iggy find to help his older brother? He will find an answer to his questions? Stay tuned!**

 **As usual, I would like to thank 'LuigiWife1551' for the beta read! Thank you so much :3**

 **Please leave a review or PM me if you have any question, advice or something like that.**

 **See ya~ Ah Ah!**


	4. Running Away

**Author's Note:**

 **Yay fourth chapter!**

 **School it started, and I'm doing well :D**

 **Disclaimer: I just own the plot and the OCs.**

 **Alright, Let's-a-go!**

* * *

 **Solution**

 **Chapter 4: Running Away**

* * *

The loud thunder, flashing lightening bolts and powerful rain pounding on the outside scared Iggy more than he realized. He stopped and slid to the ground, whimpering in fear and in pain.

"My head hurts... my head hurts..." he groaned. Feeling large tears rolling down his cheeks and snout, Iggy couldn't help it.

 _'Its not fair! Why me?! Why Lemmy?! No, I... I gotta get to the library... I gotta stop crying! Lemmy needs me! I just wish I could help him more...'_

As he began to calm down, Iggy wiped his eyes and his cheeks and shakily stood up. The corridor still scared him, so he closed his eyes and carefully made his way towards the door, using his hands and guides.

Once he felt a bumpy wall in front of him, he let out a breath of relief and opened his eyes. Pushing the stone door aside, he slipped in and set the door back the way he had it.

Turning on the lights, Iggy coughed- he forgot when was the last time he, or anyone for that matter, was in here. Except for himself and Ludwig, no one really used the library, which explained the dust he rustled and scattered everywhere.

'Let's take a look…' he mused to himself as he began looking for anything he left could help him. He leafed through health, history, Royal Family history, science, Magic, anything and everything that could possibly help him.

After an hour of searching throughout all the shelves, he found an old, tattered book that was supposed to be in the Magic section. Being so old, he was unable to make out the name of it. He sat at an old table, and started to read it.

As he read, he became more and more interested; this might be what he was looking for all this time...

 _'In the world, there are five known magical forces. Life Energy, a common energy that all living being have inside of them. Next to that, Heavenly Force, stronger than human will, giving the higher deities power to keep peace among all living creatures. Beyond that, there exists a power known as Starlight, which is contained inside an object known as the Starpower Gem. It has the ability to grant any seeker of its power a single wish, after which its power must charge to be used once again. It is said to be found somewhere in the Fire Plains, where it has been since the Fire Plains War. Finally, there are the two powers that control all of the universe- Time and Space. While combining these two forces would surely create a disaster, one can control them to shape the world as he or she sees fit...'_

Iggy hummed in thought. "I never heard of these before... I wonder if there's more information around here. But that Starpower Gem sounds like something I've been looking for."

Iggy got up ad began looking around the Magic section for any additional information, and was pleasantly surprised to see another book on the Starpower Gem and the power of Starlight.

Sitting down, Iggy started to read the second book, trying to find out more about this power.

 _'During the rule of King Morton Koopa Senior, a meteor fell down from the sky and landed in the Fire Plains. The Koopa's Army found a strange gem inside, and took it to the king to have it analyzed. After some studies, the koopas discovered that inside the gem there was an high concentration of magical power, but for years, no one knew what it was. One day, an unknown creature that called himself Virgil, brought his army into the DarkLands and waged war, demanding the King to hand over the Starpower Gem. Now knowing what it was, and what it could do to his people, King Morton Koopa refused. This the War at Fire Plains begun.'_

"So that's why we never met Grandpa... I wonder what happened to him..." Iggy wondered. He kept reading.

 _'As they fought, King Morton Koopa lost the Starpower Gem. Virgil took control of the Starlight power, and nearly succeded in destroying the world. But King Morton sacrificed himself to stop Virgil, and as his final request, asked that the gem get seperated into four sepreate pieces, so no one could get hurt from it ever again. The gem was broken in four pieces: the Water Piece, the Earth Piece, the Wind Piece, and the Fire Piece. The DarkLand kingdom then created four shrines to house the separate pieces in, but their locations are unknown...'_

Iggy was speechless. "Dad lost his only family when he was a teen... is that why he's so cold towards us all... towards Lemmy...?" he asked himself.

"But that Starpower Gem is just what I need to help Lemmy. I need to find those pieces and fast."

Iggy got up so fast he knocked his chair over, and bolted out of the library, leaving the lights on and the books still open on the table. He paid little attention to the rain still pelting outside, and ran to his bedroom.

It was midnight, and he knew he needed sleep. But he was excited: there was an opportunity to help his brother. He couldn't miss it. So he decided to pack fast, and move early.

He found a thick, black hooded cloak lying around in his room, and fitted it on. He then grabbed a small bag and loaded it with his hunting knife he got last year and his magic wand.

As he went to tie his cloak about his waist properly, he paused in front of his mirror. His hair would be the sore thumb that stood out.

"Damn... my hair is gonna be a pain to put this hood on, but I am not cutting it! Urgh... I gotta figure out a way to get it on..." he grunted as he began struggling with it.

He pushed his hair back as he tried to put his hood on at the same time. It was a pain, but eventually, he got it on. After tying his belt on snuggly and making sure everything was packed, he turned out the light and locked the door, slipping the key in his pocket.

Headling towards the dungeon, Iggy halted when he saw a guard at the entrance.

"Come on, man... you're in my way..." Iggy mumbled. He spotted a rock and picked it up, throwing it towards the wall facing away from him. It had its intended effect, and the guard jumped up.

"Who's there?!" he yelled, his sword drawn. As he ran towards the 'intruder', Iggy snuck past and moved swiftly throughout the corridor of the dungeon. Quickly walking to the gate that lead to the stairs, he opened it and went down the stairs.

It was hard to breathe, and the cold was hitting the tall koopa's skin, causing him to shiver. As he approached the first cell, he stopped and peered in. What he saw caused his heart to stop and his eyes to widen.

Lemmy and Larry were sleeping on the ground, and they were shaking pretty bad. It looked like Larry was trying to stay away from his older brother, but Lemmy was trying to keep them both warm, as the dungeon was damp and chilly from the storm.

Iggy placed his hand on the bars, being careful not to disturb them as they slept.

"I'm sorry, you guys... but I have to leave. Please stay together for my sake..." Iggy whispered, wiping tears away from his eyes. He smiled faintly before he turned to continue his trip out of the castle.

Once he reached the end of the dungeon, he opened the door and was caught off guard with a one of the guards spotting him.

"A thief! A thief is here!" he yelled, loud enough for at least two others to hear him. Iggy didn't think twice.

He ran.

"You're dead! After him!" Iggy heard the guard yell. He didn't stop. He kept running as fast as he could, until he realized he was trapped in a dead end.

Above his head, there was a window. As the guards closed in, Iggy climbed the window edge and stood atop it, looking down. He could hear water below and he smirked. He knew where he was going if he jumped.

"Stop you fool!"

"He want to kill himself! Is he nuts?!"

"He's crazy!"

"Let him jump! Less work for us!"

Iggy spread his arms and allowed himself to free fall back first, looking up at the moon as he fell. He knew he wasn't going to die.

 _'As much as Roy used to bully me here... I'll be alright. I'll be alright...'_ Iggy thought seconds before he hit the lake water.

The guards looked down, their mouth hanging open.

"N-No way... He got away…"

"Lucky dude!"

"Let's tell the king!"

Iggy felt the air knocked out of him and had to hurry out of the lake before he drowned. Getting out, he staggered towards a large tree and hid behind there, trying to catch his breath and steady his heart beats.

Coughing and sputtering up water, he relaxed against the tree, his energy finally spent. He sighed and soon, he felt sleep slowly pulling over him, even though it was still raining and chilly outside.

 _'Lemmy... I'm gonna make this right. I'm... I'm gonna save you. I promise.'_ he thought sleepily as he was soon fast asleep, his bag clutched tightly to his chest.

He hardly felt the air caressing him as he slept.

* * *

 **Woohoo! What will Iggy do? Stay tuned!**

 **As usual, I would like to thank 'LuigiWife1551' for the beta read! Thank you so much :3**

 **Please leave a review or PM me if you have any question, advice or something like that.**

 **See ya~ Ah Ah!**


	5. Travel

**Author's Note:**

 **Yay fifth chapter!**

 **School homeworks are overwhelming. Don't have much free time D:**

 **I'm very happy on how this story is turning out. Thanks to the motivation you all are giving to me! Thank you all :)**

 **Oh and... tomorrow it is my birthday :D**

 **Disclaimer: I just own the plot and the OCs.**

 **Alright, Let's-a-go!**

* * *

 **Solution**

 **Chapter 5: Travel**

* * *

Lemmy yawned, slowly opening his eyes. He blinked a couple times to get adjusted to the darkness, before he sighed and sat upright to stretch.

 _'I wonder where Iggy and the others are...'_ Lemmy thought before he got himself comfortable against the damp and cold wall. He listened to the pounding rain and drip-drops of the water falling inside the dungeon before he heard a smaller, softer voice next to him.

"Hrgh... man, what time is it..." Larry mumbled, realizing his brother's arms were no longer around him. He looked around, slightly disoriented, before he saw Lemmy sitting nearby with a frown on his face.

"H-Hey, what's up Lemmy?" Lemmy was startled, but didn't look at his younger brother.

"Nothing, Larry... did I wake you?" Lemmy asked, hoping his brother would drop the conversation and leave him to his thoughts.

Instead, Larry scooted closer to him, knowing something was troubling him, and said, "By your face, something's bugging you. What's up, bro?"

Lemmy bit his bottom lip and tried to think of a plausible excuse he could fool his little brother with. When the silence stretched on for too long, Larry took a good guess- and of course, he was right.

"Is it about Iggy? Did something happened with you guys? He was acting kinda funny yesterday at dinner..."

"It's not his fault!" Lemmy suddenly snapped, catching Larry off guard. Said blue haired koopaling simply sat there, unable to reply as Lemmy tried to calm down.

"... sorry, Larry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm worried about Iggy, that's all..." he finally admitted. Larry nodded and scooted a little closer.

"What about him?"

"He hasn't slept or eaten for almost two days... "

"Why? Is that why he was so cranky?" Larry asked.

"Y-Yeah. He wanted to help me walk normal again, I guess. But I can live with what I have, it's just Iggy isn't understanding that." Lemmy replied, slightly shivering from a chill running down his arms.

"I'm used to this, and I get Iggy wants to help, but he's not happy because of it and I don't like seeing him so upset!"

Larry hummed in thought for a little while, trying to process what he heard. When he finished, he sighed and said, "I can't blame him though... it probably gets annoying having to defend yourself all the time..."

Larry then recalled the crazy scenario the previous night and chuckled. "Still, what you did to Roy was pretty funny! Its about time he got a piece of his own medicine!"

"But that's the reason we're here..." Lemmy reminded him. Larry shrugged nonchalantly.

"Oh well. We'll be outta here later so it's cool."

Lemmy nodded before he looked back at the bars in front of him. "I wonder if he's okay... hopefully he at least got some sleep..."

Larry smiled, optimistic. "He's fine, Lem. I know he is."

* * *

Iggy had been walking for what seemed like forever before he stopped, highly confused and tired. He felt as if he were walking for ever and still was getting nowhere.

"Where the heck am I supposed to go?! Argh!" he screamed to no one in particular. He shook his head and simply decided to walk to the closest city to ask for directions.

The closest city that he saw was Koopatropolis. Near that was the Electrodrome. Iggy had recalled reading about it, but never saw either city up close before.

To avoid detection, he slipped his wand and knife in his bag and walked as calmly as he could towards the entrance, trying to keep his hood pulled over his eyes so no one could recognize him. Once he reached the entrance to Koopatropolis, he stopped in wonder and awe.

The city was HUGE! Skyscrapers and shops were everywhere. Restaurants to the left, dress shops to the right.

Thankfully, there were people dressed stranger than he was, so he didn't stand out like a sore thumb. He walked down a few blocks until he noticed a little cafe off to the left. He smiled.

'That's a good place to ask as any...' he thought to himself, and with a quick tug of his hood, he crossed the massive sea of people and entered the tiny cafe.

He entered and approached the bartender. He seemed to be off in his own little world, and missed the rather tall koopa sitting in front of his face.

"He..ello?" Iggy tried to speak. "Hellooo?"

The hood was hiding Iggy's head, so naturally the dazed bartender got defensive and made a unusually quick reach for his phone.

"You shouldn't try to rob here, you fool! I don't care it is night." The bartender took the phone and was ready to call the koopa soldiers. Iggy blinked; it was still fairly light outside.

"I'm… not a robber. I just wanna know where I can find the Fire Plains?" Iggy asked kindly, hoping his voice would calm the dazed koopa down.

Instead, it riled him up even more, and he dialed a number. "Why should I tell that to you? Who are you?" the bartender said, while putting the phone to his left ear.

 _'I better get outta here before the koopa patrol sees me! I look like a walking target!'_ Iggy thought frantically as he bolted out of the cafe.

He ran out of the café and into the street, dashing as quickly as he could while trying to avoid running smack into anyone. After some time, he found a slightly larger cafe, and decided to try asking anyone in there for directions.

Like before, it was slow and quiet, and the bartender looked like someone he had seen before. When Iggy approached the counter, he was greeted warmly, which threw him for a loop.

"How can I serve you?" she said kindly while cleaning a glass. Iggy blushed under her gaze but answered nonetheless.

"I… would like to know where I should go to reach… t-the Fire Plains... p-please..." Iggy stuttered shyly. The woman laughed at how adorable he was before she set her glass down and thought.

"Hmmm... now where was it... oh, I remember now! You should take the street at east gate of the city. Past that, there is a strange forest known as the Forest of Mist. The Fire Plains should be just past the exit of that forest. Although, I suggest you have a compass handy, sweetie. It's hard to find your way around here..." the bartender said before she paused and leaned a little too close to the prince's face.

"Have I seen you somewhere before, young man?" Iggy shook his head, trying to hurry up and get out of there.

"N-No... but thank you..." he managed to get out as he started making his way towards the door.

Smiling, the bartender placed an old compass in Iggy's hands and clasped hers over his. Iggy was startled for a moment, and looked up at the woman, confused.

"Listen here, sweetie. I don't know who you are or what you're doing, but I know you have a good heart and you want to save someone. Do your best and please, be careful. Okay?" she finished with a large, warm smile. Iggy's face all but turned red, and he thanked her once more, wishing he could do something more to show his gratitude.

"Anything else you need before you go? I have drinks, ice cream, anything you need!" Iggy shook his head and was finally able to smile back at the bartender.

"No, I don't have any money. But thank you again!" he called as he ran out the cafe. The bartender chuckled.

"What a sweetie... I hope he's okay in whatever he's doing..."

Once Iggy left, he noticed a bunch of patrol heading his way. He stole a quick look at his compass and followed it heading the opposite way, hoping none of them had spotted him.

 _'Come on, I'm almost there!'_ Iggy thought. He ran as fast as he could manage to the east gate, thankful he took the compass. That bartender wasn't kidding; this place was very easy to get lost in!

"There he is!"

"That damn manic survived?! Not this time! Get him, men!" Iggy shrieked at the sheer number of patrol that were being sent out after him, and he ran even faster.

As soon as he reached the eastern gate, he wiggled through it and stopped, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath. He groaned inwardly when he saw the koopa patrol were gaining on him, and fast.

 _'I don't have time, I gotta get out of here!'_ Iggy thought to himself. He fished for his wand in his bag, and muttered a speed spell of sorts. It gave him enhanced speed, but not for long.

After five minutes of chasing and dodging, he reached the entrance of the Forest of Mist, and his spell effect finished. He listened out for the patrol to see if they were still after him, but heard nothing. He breathed a breath of relief.

"Finally... I guess I gotta go in here..." Iggy mused before he carefully entered the forest, wand in hand.

For about ten minutes, it was tense, yet peaceful at the same time. Nothing jumped out at him or tried to attack him. But as he continued to walk, he started feeling lightheaded. He tried to shake it off, but it got worse and worse. Soon, he felt stomach pains and he paused before he felt his legs giving out under him.

"W-What's... happening..." he thought before his vision went black and he collapsed to the ground.

* * *

 **Yeah. You got it. He just got unconscious. Actually, the symptoms Iggy had were the same symptoms I had when I almost dropped unconscious. I don't even know why in the first place, but I may know the answer, so that's why it's your time to guess! Stay tuned!**

 **As usual, I would like to thank 'LuigiWife1551' for the beta read! Thank you so much :3**

 **Please leave a review or PM me if you have any question, advice or something like that =D**

 **See ya~ Ah Ah!**


	6. Dream

**Author's Note:**

 **Yay sixth chapter!**

 **Short chapter. But there is a reason to that. I didn't want to make an huge chapter about what happens to Iggy and what happens to Lemmy. So that's it. Chapter 7 is way longer than this, to make up for this 'small chapter', so don't get angry please =P ( Since, I gave too much space to Iggy in these chapters, so why don't focus on Lemmy?**

 **Disclaimer: I just own the plot and the OCs.**

 **Alright, Let's-a-go!**

* * *

 **Solution**

 **Chapter 6: Dream**

* * *

"Urgh.. man, my head..." Iggy groaned as he slowly came to. He struggled to sit up as he took in his surroundings.

"Where... where am I?" he wondered as he looked around aimlessly.

All he could see for miles and miles around was... white. Pure white as far as his eyes could see.

"Am…I dead? What happened back there?" Finally able to stand, he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before placing them back on. He shrugged and figured the best thing to do was start walking... somewhere.

After what seemed like a long, long time, he could hear a strange voice in the background. It sounded like...

"Lemmy?" He started to run to where he thoughts he heard the strange sound. But it was no use. He didn't seem to be getting anywhere... wherever the 'any' where was supposed to be.

"Lemmy?! LEMMY!" he screamed as his legs gave out from exhaustion. He collapsed, sobbing in grief at the sound of what he believed to be his older brother in pain.

"I'm sorry, Lemmy... I failed... I can't save you, I can't save anyone! I really am useless.." he sobbed.

 **"Are you really sure, Ignatius?"** a voice suddenly spoke. A girl's voice...?

"H-Huh? W-Who's there?" Iggy stuttered, wiping his cheeks and picking up his knife as fast as he could. He started to turn around, and he tried to look for the person that talked to him.

 **"Hey, what are you doing? I won't hurt you."** That was definitely a girl, but what was a girl doing in the Forest of Mist?

"Who are you!? Where am I!?"

 **"Can't tell you yet!"**

"Show yourself!" Iggy shouted angrily. He was annoyed to no end; who on earth was that voice?!

 **"I know who you are, and about your feats to help your brother."**

"You don't know anything about me!"

 **"Are you sure?"**

"Of course I'm sure! Now who are you!?"

 **"Told ya I can't tell! But I'll be with you as you travel, 'kay?"** she giggled.

"Who are you!? Did you bring me here?! What is going on?!" he demanded, gripping his knife tightly in his hands.

 **"No I didn't. You're still passed out in front of that freaky forest. I didn't do anything more, I promise."**

Iggy slowly calmed down, lowering his knife. The girl speaking to him sighed and said, **"I'm just trying to help you and your family, Ignatius. Got it?"**

Iggy nodded. "I don't know if I'll be able to do this... I mean, what if I let Lemmy down? This is his last chance and if I mess this up-"

 **"You won't. Trust me, Ignatius. But I have one favor to ask."**

"What?"

 **"Don't let the gem finish in the wrong hands. I know you are a good person. To be honest, I want that gem out of the world completely. While it can grant the wish of whoever possesses it, if it falls into the wrong hands..."**

"Yeah, I get it. I just wanna help my brother. That's all."

Iggy hummed in thought before he remembered something. "Wait a second. What the heck is your name? You never told me."

 **"You can call me Aryal."**

"A…Aryal? Ok. So can you tell me anything else? Like why you're in my head?"

 **"Nope. Told you before."** Aryal reminded him. **"I'll go now. Get some rest, and be prepared for later. You've gotten yourself into some adventure and you'll need all the sleep you can get, okay?"**

"Yeah. Thanks, Aryal."

 **"Okay. Sweet dreams, Ignatius, and good luck."**

Iggy felt himself drifting back into his body, so to speak, but he couldn't forget that strange conversation he just had.

 _'Who was she? She knew a lot about me, but I knew nothing about her… seems strange. And who else wants that Starpower Gem...?'_

* * *

 **New character introduced. Who is this girl? Who knows! Just something you should think of, is that she is an OC, but I can't say more.**

 **As usual, I would like to thank 'LuigiWife1551' for the beta read! Thank you so much :3**

 **Please leave a review or PM me if you have any question, advice or something like that =D**

 **And of course, I would like to thank everyone that Favorited/Followed/Reviewed the story! Thank you so much!**

 **I'll leave with a question. What do you think this OC will be? An Human? Koopa? Animal? It's all up to your imagination! I'm curious to see what you guys are up to =D**

 **See ya~ Ah Ah!**


	7. Two-Koopa Team

**Author's Note:**

 **Yay seventh chapter!**

 **Sorry if it took so long to post this chapter. This chapter is really long, as you can see.**

 **I wanted just to say something about a Guest Review I had for the sixth chapter. He simply said I wasn't original because I 'wrote Threshold with reversed roles'. Sorry to say that, but I had a chat with the Author of that story(that is my beta reader, too, so the language is of course similiar), and she said that for what she saw, my story was different. As a reminder to the readers, no one can say that a story is a copy of another by just looking at the first chapter. This story is very long, so get prepared! :)**

 **Oh and this ^ is not an 'hating'. It's just a clear up to anyone that thought the same as that guest.**

 **Disclaimer: I just own the plot and the OCs.**

 **Alright, Let's-a-go!**

* * *

 **Solution**

 **Chapter 7: Two-Koopa Team**

* * *

The next day, a guard came down to unlock the cell where the two siblings were being kept. Their punishment now over, they were told to go upstairs, as the rest of the family awaited them for breakfast.

Larry stood and stretched, but noticed Lemmy was sitting against the wall, head buried in his hands. Concerned, Larry went over to him.

"H-Hey, are you okay? We gotta go eat before we get in trouble." Larry said. Lemmy nodded and groaned in pain when he tried to lift his head.

"My head... it hurts so much right now..." he mumbled. Larry rubbed his shoulders and sighed.

"Let's head to the dining room." Larry said while approaching the cell door. "Breakfast is ready and we don't need to get Dad on our case again." Lemmy groaned, the sound of food upsetting his stomach. Larry sat back down next to him and rubbed his arm soothigly. Something had to have been troubling him; he looked dizzy and ill.

"What's wrong? Did you rest last night?" Lemmy shook his head no. "I couldn't sleep..."

"Is... is it because of Iggy?" Larry asked worriedly. Lemmy rested his head against the cold wall and let his eyes close. He didn't answer for a while. Larry nestled closer to him and rested his head on his small chest.

"...yeah." Lemmy finally breathed. Larry looked up.

"I'm scared... what if I lose my brother..."

Larry sighed softly but looked at his hands and didn't know what to say. Still, he had to say something.

"We'll see him at breakfast, don't worry. He needed some time to think, that's all. Maybe he needs to talk to you, too. You should speak to him after we eat."

"Yeah..." Lemmy didn't sound too sure about that, but it was better than nothing. Larry nodded and the two got up and headed towards the dining hall for breakfast.

Upon reaching the dining room, everyone noticed Iggy was the only one not present. Lemmy and Larry sat down, Lemmy lost in thought. Bowser stared hard at Lemmy, knowing something was wrong.

 _'Where's Iggy... I hope he's alright. He probably doesn't wanna eat either... Stars, my stomach,.. my head... hurts...'_ Lemmy groaned and leaned forward once his plate was brought out. He couldn't stand dealing with food right now. He just wanted to sleep... and maybe see Iggy to make sure he was alright.

"So, I wanted to- hang on a second." Bowser said, finally noticing the empty seat.

"Where's Iggy? Wasn't he summoned to breakfast?"

Roy rolled his eyes and shoved a forkful of food in his mouth before he replied, "He's still crying in the room, knowin' the damn weakling."

Larry, finally fed up with the jokes, slammed his fork on the table. "Will you shut up for once, you overgrown gorilla?! We just want to know where he is!" Larry snapped. Lemmy was caught of guard and smiled mentally.

 _'Thank you, Larry.'_

"Well, I heard one of the servants knocking on the door. He didn't answer; maybe he's still sleeping?" Morton piped up, drinking some juice rather sloppily.

"Yeah, he didn't bother coming out for nothing!" Junior giggled, lightening a rather serious topic. Lemmy couldn't help but finally crack a smile; leave it to Junior to make everyone laugh somehow, someway.

"Returning to what I was trying to say before, last night, the guards saw a cloaked figure running in and around the dungeons where your brothers were. Nothing looks like it was destroyed or stolen, but no one could get a good look at the fugitive, either."

"And?" Ludwig was not interested in this talking. He was eating neatly as usual, but he was getting irritated with the constant break of his concentration as he tried to think of ways to finish his recent Koopa Symphony.

"I wanted to know if any of you saw something." Bowser finished simply as he ate his food. The children looked at one another,

Morton cut his sloppy eating short to begin his usual nonsense banter. "I didn't hear anything, but then again maybe I did, I mean it could have been running but maybe it was just a guard, it reminds me when I was 6 and…"

"Damn it, Morton! Can ya shaddup! You're pissing me off!" Roy was clearly annoyed by his little brother's talkative nature, but more so by the fact that everyone was making such a deal over one sibling.

Morton didn't like when people told him to shut up, especially Roy, but he didn't want to argue at all at the moment. Shrugging his shoulders, he resumed his disgusting table eating, which soon got on Wendy and Ludwig's nerves.

"Come on Morton, that's disgusting! Don't you dare touch me!" Wendy yelled, pushing Morton further to his right.

"Hey, come on ya jerk! I'm eating!" Morton said while chewing. Ludwig rolled his eyes, Wendy and Morton soon erupted into a shouting match, and Bowser sat getting a headache from it all.

"So ANYWAYS..." the King said loud enough to catch everyone's attention and quell any ongoing arguments. "As I was saying, no one saw anything?" Bowser asked.

"No, nothing." all the koopalings said in unison, except Lemmy and Larry. Bowser noticed the strange expression on his son's face but chose to say nothing on it, making a note to confront him later.

After breakfast was over, Larry and Lemmy went to check on Iggy- or rather, Lemmy hustled to check on his brother while Larry just trailed along to see what he was up to. Once they reached Iggy's lab, Lemmy knocked.

"Iggy, are you there? It's me, Lemmy. Can you open the door?"

No reply.

"Come on Iggy, open the door!" He knocked harder.

No reply.

"Maybe he's still in his room?" Larry pointed out to his brother. Lemmy agreed.

"Let's go to his room!" Lemmy started to run, followed by Larry.

Once at the door, Lemmy knocked.

"It's me, Lemmy. Open the door please." No reply.

Ready to give in, Lemmy turned to head back to his room, when Larry snapped his fingers and said, "Lem, hang on. Is the door unlocked?"

Puzzled as to why he would ask, Lemmy shrugged and checked his brother's door. To his surprise, the door was locked.

"Well, he's not here and you know how he gets when we touch his stuff." Lemmy explained as he showed Larry the door was indeed locked. "Why?"

Larry frowned in thought before he turned and bolted down the hall. Lemmy rolled behind him as fast as he could keep up.

"LARRY! Wait up!"

"Lem, come on! We're going to the libary!" Larry shouted back over his shoulder. Lemmy arched his eyebrow in confusion.

 _'The library? Would Iggy be bothered to go in there?'_

After a few minutes, Lemmy finally caught up with his brother, who was waiting for him to catch his breath. "N-Next time y-y-you have a bright idea... how about a warning?"

Larry laughed under his breath. "Sorry. I just had a feeling Iggy would be in here."

Both boys pushed the door open, and paused. They library looked like it had indeed been used; to both their surprise, the library lights were still on, and books and paper were scattered just about everywhere. Lemmy and Larry looked around.

"Well, Iggy WAS in here. That's for sure. Wonder what for, though..." Lemmy mused as he and Larry began looking for any trace of their brother.

Lemmy walked over to a table that had books and random papers all over. He read the name of the books on the table.

"The... Starpower Gem? What on Earth is that?" he wondered aloud and he flipped the book over and over in his hands. Larry walked over and studied the book with him.

"Dunno. You think Iggy left to find out?"

Lemmy nodded, still looking the book over. He couldn't recall anyone in their family ever owning such a book. Larry peeked over his brother's shoulder and took it, deciding the best thing to do was read and learn more. Lemmy shrugged and looked around the room some more, trying to find even the smallest clue as to where his brother could've gone off to.

"Hey Lem, look at this!" Larry called him over. Lemmy rolled his way over to him and stood next to him as he skimmed the passages.

"I... don't get a word of it. What's it about?" Lemmy asked rather bluntly. Larry eyed him in disbelief but went on to explain anyways.

"It's called the Starpower Gem, and I guess it needs the power of... Starlight? I think Dad read this to me once when I was still kinda small. But I don't get it man, what would Iggy find this crap interesting for?" Larry asked, trying every which way to decipher the text.

"Well... it says something about granting a wish to the owner of the gem. I wonder if that's why Iggy went to find it-"

Lemmy snatched the book from him and tried to flip through it himself. However, he found it all rather boring, and honestly couldn't understand what he was staring at. Soon, frustrated and tired of staring into a vastness of words and ink, he slammed it shut and roughly shoved it back to his brother.

"L-Lemmy?"

 _'Where are you now, Iggy? What did you get yourself into?'_ Lemmy growled to himself. Larry touched his brother's hand, worried about him, and once Lemmy finally shook himself out of it, he stood up straight.

"Let's go. We need to find him."

Larry hummed in agreement, and glancing over to his left, he grinned and motioned for Lemmy to follow him.

"Where are you trying to go?"

"Out of here. I recognize this door." Larry said, patting what appeared to be nothing but stone. Lemmy tilted his head in confusion. "Its a secret door, doofus."

"And how do you know that?"

"I know this whole castle. Comes with the whole sneaking around all my life thing, you know." he responded as he pushed the door over, revealing a narrow, dark passageway. Lemmy's eyes widened in amazement.

"I didn't know he had this here..." he said in pure surprise. Larry chuckled and lead the duo forward.

As they walked, Lemmy started getting more and more afraid. "I-It's so dark... Iggy must get scared every time he comes down here..." he mumbled. Larry, who knew the route by memory, nodded. "Yeah. Be careful."

Within minutes, Larry stopped in front of another door and carefully pushed it open. Lemmy blinked before he realized where he was standing at: Iggy's bed room.

"H-How on earth...?"

Larry chuckled. "Heh. Told ya, bro."

While he was glad he learned about Iggy's secret passageways, Lemmy knew they had to leave the castle, but the main problem was being caught, especially with the strange intruder possibly still at large.

Lemmy went towards Iggy's closet and staring leafing through his things. When he found what he was looking for, he tossed one of it to Larry, who looked utterly baffled and worried about this strange plan of his.

"Lem, what-"

"Larry, put that thing on. We've gotta get outta here without being caught..." Lemmy explained quickly as he searched for something else. He made a triumph sound when he pulled it out- an empty bag.

"A bag...? What's a bag for?"

"I don't know, but come on!" Lemmy had managed to fasten a smaller cloak similar to Larry's on, and he pulled the hood low over his face as he rolled out of the door. "We've gotta move while no one's looking."

Once outside castle grounds, Larry looked back at their home and winced. "Lem, if they catch us out here, we're gonna be grounded for life! What are you thinking?"

Lemmy panted, "I-I dunno... but I gotta find Iggy and get him to listen to me! I have a feeling he's looking for that Star thing to make me normal, but he isn't getting it! I don't want to be normal! I just want Iggy to understand me... and I need him to be alright..."

Larry was quiet for a moment, staring at the castle grounds and the sunlight that reflected off the leaves on the tress, before another thought hit him. "Won't they know we're missing if we don't show up for lunch or dinner?"

Lemmy realized he hadn't quite thought his plan out so well, but shook his head once he could catch his breath. "I didn't think about that... but I don't care what they think. Iggy comes first. We need to bring him home, and then we can explain everything."

Grinning, Larry turned and began walking ahead, towards a path laid out right in front of them. "Well then, let's go to Koopatropolis!" Larry said, tugging on Lemmy to follow him.

"W-Woah! Wait, why there?"

A twinkle of mischievousness gleamed in the younger koopaling's eye as he answered his older brother. "I think Iggs would go there to ask for directions. Besides, I know someone there who might be able to help us out."

* * *

Once at Koopatropolis, Larry dragged Lemmy through the busy streets and towards his current favorite working spot, the Electrodrome. Lemmy's eyes widened in childlike amazement.

"Holy Stars, I never saw this place, but it looks amazing! You're so lucky!" Lemmy admitted. Larry grinned.

"You can come visit me whenever I work, bro! I'm gonna go ask for some directions. Wait for me here, and be careful, okay?"

As soon as Larry disappeared inside the building, Lemmy moved to a spot further away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. He looked around at the lights and sights while keeping an eye out for anyone who seemed like a guard.

* * *

"Oh, hey Larry! How ya been?" The bartender greeted upon the mohawked koopaling entering the building.

"Hey!" Larry waved his hand happily. The bartender walked over to her favorite little worker as she finished cleaning a glass.

"What brings you here?"

"Well… I have a question. Have you seen any strange persons around here lately?" The bartender paused and thought about it, putting down the glass.

"Yeah... a strange robed fella came in, yesterday I believe. He was asking for some directions to get to the Forest of Mist, I believe. Why? Do you know the fella?"

Larry chuckled. "I... can't quite say yet. But he's of particular interest to me. Listen, I need you to do me a huge favor."

"Yeah?"

Leaning closer to her, Larry whispered, "Please, if any of the Royal Guards come looking for me or a person named Lemmy... can you say that we're with you at your house? Please, please, pleaseeee?" he begged.

The bartender looked at Larry, slightly skeptical about his actions. "Royal Guards? Aren't you a prince?"

"Yeah, me and Lemmy are, and so is Iggy. It's a lot to explain, but can you please just say we're at your place if they come looking for us?"

The bartender looked at Larry hard, knowing something serious was happening, or he wouldn't be begging to keep his... disappearance a secret. She went against her better judgement and nodded yes.

Larry let out a breath of relief. "Thank you! I gotta get going now, but I'll be seeing you soon! Oh, one more thing... where is that forest you were talking about?"

The bartender pulled out a scrap piece of paper and a pen and scribbled something on it before sliding it to him. Larry picked it up without looking at it, deciding to wait until he was with Lemmy to show it to him.

"Thank you so much. I'll be seeing you soon!" Larry exclaimed happily, heading out of the Electrodrome. The bartender shook her head and resumed her glass cleaning.

"What are you getting yourselves into, boys..."

* * *

Larry rushed outside and shoved the paper into Lemmy's hand. He proceeded to read it.

"So we gotta find the east end of this city to find this Forest of Mist? What the heck is that, anyway?" Lemmy asked as he stared at the words, as if they would suddenly make sense to him. Larry shrugged.

"Well, I dunno. We should've taken that book with us. But let's see where it goes, no?"

Lemmy agreed, and together, the two boys set off to locate the Forest of Mist.

* * *

 **Woohoo! That's it :o**

 **As usual, I would like to thank 'LuigiWife1551' for the beta read! Thank you so much :3**

 **Please leave a review or PM me if you have any question, advice or something like that =D**

 **And of course, I would like to thank everyone that Favorited/Followed/Reviewed the story! Thank you so much!**

 **I'll leave with a question. What do you think about a Larry and Lemmy Team? It could work out like a Lemmy and Iggy Team? Or the bond between Iggy and Lemmy is too strong to let another friend join the Team? I'm very interested in your replies!**

 **See ya~ Ah Ah!**


	8. Three-Koopa Team

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello!**

 **Sorry if it took so long to post this chapter :/**

 **Disclaimer: I just own the plot and the OCs.**

 **Alright, Let's-a-go!**

* * *

 **Solution**

 **Chapter 8: Three-Koopa Team**

* * *

"Today's your first training day, kids. Choose a weapon and an opponent."

"Everyone ready? FIGHT!"

"That's all you can do, pipsqueak? Hmph. Pathetic."

"Leave me alone! Please! It hurts! Stop it! I surrender!"

"Why should I? You weakling... Dad shouldn't have you in this castle! Now fight me!"

"Stooooop please!"

"Really? You piece of...forget it. Its hopeless. You are dishonorable as a koopa! In the dungeon for a month!"

"P-Please nooo!"

"Stupid!"

"Useless! Come on, fight back! Idiot!"

"Stop... stop it... NO!"

* * *

"NO!" Bolting upright, Iggy panted so fast he didn't think he could slow down. His head hurt and he groaned as he struggled to get his breathing under control.

"J-Just... just a... a dream... more like a freaking nightmare..." he muttered to himself.

"Oh Prince Ignatius, you're awake!" One Yoshi, dressed like a medic, ran to him. Startled, Iggy finally took in his surroundings. He lay in a white bed, alongside many others like it. It seemed like the place was empty save for himself and the Yoshi who was hovering over him.

"Where… am I..." He tried to get up, but the medic pushed him back on the bed.

"Not yet, Prince. I must make sure you're alright."

After a few minutes, the Yoshi jotted a few things down and left without saying anything. Iggy wasn't sure what to make of that so he laid back down and listened to nothing.

 **'Iggy, you know your family loves you right?'** that female voice suddenly spoke out of nowhere. Iggy sighed, wiping his eyes.

"I doubt it..."

Just then, the door opened, and the medic ushered two people inside before he smiled at Iggy and closed the door. Iggy blinked, making sure he wasn't going crazy, before everything turned into something akin a circus.

"IGGY! You're alright!" Iggy just stared for a moment before he slowly waved his hand to them.

"H-Hey..." Iggy stuttered, moving a bit uncomfortably when Lemmy hugged him. Larry soon followed suit. Still lost in thought, Iggy continued to look outside.

"What happened, Iggy? Why'd you leave like that?" Lemmy asked first. Iggy rubbed his arm uncomfortably and looked away from the two sets of eyes staring eargerly at him, waiting for an answer.

"C-Can we talk later...? I'm kinda hungry... " he asked softly. Larry nodded.

"Looks like we gotta make a pit stop to get him something to eat. But let's wait for the doctor to clear you first, okay?" the overly elated Lemmy exclaimed. Soon he and Larry lost themselves in a conversation, leaving Iggy to drift off into his own thoughts.

 **'They do love you, you know.'**

 _'I doubt it... I don't even know what they're doing here...'_

The Yoshi came back a few moments later, did some final checks, and smiling, said, "I checked everything and you are free to leave, Prince Ignatius."

"Thank you for taking care of our brother." Lemmy said happily. The Yoshi nodded in return.

"Alright, let's head back to the Electrodrome and get some food. Iggy did say he was hungry." Larry suggested as they walked out. While both had an awful lot of questions to ask, they knew they would have to wait until Iggy felt like talking to address them all.

Once the three exited, a small female Yoshi approached them with eager energy. "Hi! Welcome to Lizardia! I'm Helia! Nice to meet you!"

Lemmy liked how happy she was, and of course, was the first to reply back. "Hi, Helia! I'm Lemmy, and these are my brothers, Larry and Iggy. Nice to meet you!"

Helia inched closer to the three princes. "I heard about you guys being found and saved by the Yoshis in this clinic. But you must get away from here as soon as you can!"

"H-Huh? How come?" Lemmy asked.

Helia sighed. "You see, I'm the princess of this land. My dad, King Yoshinard III dislikes Koopas, especially the Koopa's Royal Family. If he finds out you were here, you and all the medics that helped you will probably get killed..." she explained.

"Well, we're not bad people. Maybe if we talk to him-"

"Trust me, he will kill you before you have a chance to speak. I think you're good people myself, but I don't want anyone getting hurt because of that. Please, hurry and get out of here."

Iggy stood back, watching his brothers having the conversation, guilt creeping in his heart.

 _'And I was the reason this happened in the first place...'_

 **'Oh come on Ignatius! It wasn't your fault! You didn't even know who saved you!'**

As for the other two, they tried to reason with the young Yoshi princess to allow them to speak to her father. Finally, Lemmy asked angrily, "Why does your father dislike us so much if he's never met us?! That's not fair!"

"It's not you, really. Your father, King Bowser, has terrorized and killed a lot of our people. Sadly, my father hates anyone that has to do with them, even if you did nothing to us... Bowser started a lot of bloody wars here and my father just wants peace. He despises anyone who ruins that." Helia explained sadly.

Lemmy gave up and looked at his brothers before asking, "How we get to the Koopa Castle from here?"

"At the entrance of the village, turn right. Go forward untill you get out of the forest. From there, walk past a tree- it's known as the Light Tree- trust me, you can't miss it- then follow the path and you will reach the castle!"

"Thank you so much, and I'm sorry we couldn't stay longer..." Lemmy thanked the girl.

Helia smiled and waved goodbye. "Don't worry! Someday, we'll be able to talk again and hopefully it will be better! Good luck, you guys!"

Lemmy squared his tiny shoulders, looked once at his brother and started walking in the direction told. "Well guys, let's go back!"

Iggy walked slower and slower ,dread filling his features. He didn't want to go home...

 _'I don't want to return home. I want to help you. I hope you will get that someday, Lemmy...'_

The hilltop was a beautiful sight, all three admitted.

Benches lined the edges and led up to the Light Tree, which wasn't hard to miss at all. But for some reason, the tree was golden instead of green leaves and brown trunk.

Iggy realized two things as he sat down on one of the benches to enjoy the sights and sounds the tree provided them. One, that was the furthest any of them had been from the castle alone. Two... he was unaware he and Lemmy knew this place, as they both came here often to escape stressors from their bullying family.

Iggy smiled slightly at Lemmy's face. He was staring at the tree in wonder and delight along with Larry. They listened to the light breeze rustling the leaves, and it hurt Iggy more to thing he wouldn't be seeing his brothers happy like that anymore.

 _'But its for Lemmy, so I have to do this...'_

After a few more minutes, the two got up and prepared to head home, but Iggy stopped walking and sighed. He had to say something now.

"Guys…"

Lemmy and Larry turned back. "What's up?" Lemmy said, worried.

"I… wanna stay here a bit. I don't want to go home." Iggy sttuttered, looking at the ground. He was scared to see his brothers' reactions, but he had to say it sooner or later.

"...I guess. But why don't you wanna come home?" Lemmy asked sadly. Iggy sat down on the ground, followed by Lemmy. Larry, finally seeing that they weren't leaving no time soon, followed suit.

Soon the boys were sitting in a circle, and Lemmy and Larry looked to Iggy as he tried to explain his reasons for not going back home.

 _'How do I say this...'_

 **'Take your time, Ignatius. This is very important. But tell them everything and tell them the truth.'**

Iggy started shaking. His anxiety was getting the better of him. Now Lemmy was worried.

"Iggy? Why are you shaking? What's wrong?" Lemmy looked at his brother, confused. Iggy couldn't answer him.

"Calm down, Iggy. I'm not like the others, and neither is Larry. We wanna help you but you gotta tell us what's wrong. Okay?" Lemmy assured him gently. Larry nodded.

"It's okay, Iggs. Talk when you're ready. We aren't going anywhere." Larry said, smiling.

 **'See? They're waiting for you. Don't be scared. Tell them.'**

Iggy finally was slightly convinced by Lemmy's and Aryal's words, so he took breath, and started talking.

"I read about this Starpower Gem that can grant a wish to the owner. I was going to look for it so I could help you get better, Lemmy..." Iggy finally admitted.

"I had a feeling..." Larry muttered under his breath.

"But... I didn't want to tell anyone because they already see me as weak, and I got tired of it!" Iggy suddenly cried out. "I'm not weak like they always seem to think... I got better, too!"

Lemmy understood exactly where his brother was coming from, and hugged him tight before he pulled away.

"You aren't going by yourself, Iggy. And I don't want you to do this for me. I'm fine as I am. You'll get that one day."

"And besides that", Larry interjected, wrapping one arm about Iggy and the other about Lemmy, "You can't do these things alone! That's why you have us!"

Iggy blinked. "Y-You... wanna come with me? I don't want you guys getting hurt, or worse!"

Lemmy smiled. "Well, you have no choice. I'm older and I'm coming. Larry wants to come, and I'll let him. That's final, Iggy."

Iggy hadn't felt happier than he did just then in years, and he wiped his cheeks. "Thank you everyone."

 _'I have to do this. No matter what! For Lemmy's sake and my own, I'm gonna make my brother proud and show my family just what I'm made of!'_

"So let's work as a team!" Larry put his hand in the middle of their circle, followed by his brothers that put their hands over Larry's. Iggy chuckled.

"Yeah... we can do this."

As they got up and prepared to leave, Larry asked, "So where is the first piece of the gem?"

"I was heading towards the Fire Plains when I passed out. I think there's a clue there somewhere." Iggy said. Lemmy and Larry looked at each other, clueless as to where that even was. Iggy caught on and laughed.

"Don't worry. A nice bartender back at your workplace gave me some useful directions, Larry. It isn't too far from there."

"But... I don't have a weapon..." Lemmy suddenly remembered sadly. As they tried to think of a solution to that problem, Iggy groaned and grabbed his head. Something hit him hard, but he wasn't sure what...

* * *

"Roy, stop it! Please!"

* * *

 _'What was that about? Like I was supposed to remember something but I don't right now...'_

"Lemmy." Iggy called his brother. "Yeah?" Lemmy turned back to Iggy.

"Look under that bench. I used to hide a wooden sword from our training, when I was younger." Iggy said.

Thanks to Lemmy's small stature, he was able to find the wooden sword and smiled. It was almost like new, save for a few scratches here and there.

"It's still in good condition! Thanks, Iggy! I better be careful where I swing it though." Larry took the sword for safe keeping as Lemmy mounted his ball.

"Think we're set?"

"Think so. Let's do this!" Larry cheered, running down the hill and into the forest. Lemmy shrugged and rolled after him. Iggy shook his head, glanced back at their foreboding castle and shuddered before he ran after the others.

* * *

 **Chapter 8 is done! :) We can say that this was the last chapter of the first part of the story :o**

 **Chapter 9 will be out veeeeeeery soon! Stay Tuned!**

 **As usual, I would like to thank 'LuigiWife1551' for the beta read! Thank you so much :3**

 **Please leave a review or PM me if you have any question, advice or something like that =D**

 **And of course, I would like to thank everyone that Favorited/Followed/Reviewed the story! Thank you so much!**

 **See ya~ Ah Ah!**


	9. Fire Plains

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello!**

 **This is the first chapter of the second part. I hope you'll enjoy it! :)**

 **Disclaimer: I just own the plot and the OCs.**

 **Alright, Let's-a-go!**

* * *

 **Solution**

 **Chapter 9: Fire Plains**

* * *

A giant door opened, leading to what seemed to be a throne room.

Lots of guards were around the throne. Ten soldiers and a leader wearing a crown soon entered and approached the person sitting in the throne, dressed in all dark colors.

"Sire, we found three of the royal koopas alive. They are heading into the Forest of Mist." The crowned one said, while bowing to the guy on the throne.

"Any more… information?" The guy on the throne asked, seemingly amused by that piece of information.

"We also had intel who overheard them near the Light Tree. It seems they, too, know about and are in pursuit of the Starpower Gem. They are heading towards the Fire Plains now."

"Hmm... how interesting..." The one on the throne said. The crown wearer smirked rather evilly.

"Did you want us to murder them, Sire?"

"No. I want to see how far they think they will truly go. Observe their movements and follow them closely. Do what you must to obtain whatever pieces they find."

"And if they should... perish?"

"Then collect their pieces and bring them to me. You will still have your half of the kingdom, plus more if you bring them to me alive. I will study those left behind in the Darklands and the Mushroom Kingdom. Do NOT fail me, understood?!"

"Yes Sire!" The crowned guy got up, and went out of the room, followed by his ten soldiers.

"Things just got much more intriguing..." The throne one said softly, his hands clasped together, a deadly smile spreading across his face.

* * *

The brothers continued walking into the Forst of Mist, Iggy having a strange feeling they were lost.

"The Fire Plains shouldn't be this far." Iggy said, recalling the bartender's words.

Larry turned back, listening closely. He felt... something. Or someone. Whatever it was, it wasn't very good, and he knew it.

 _'Someone is watching our every move, I can feel it. Where and who are you?'_

"Larry, what's up?" Lemmy turned back, staring at his youngest brother. Larry narrowed his eyes for a moment before he shook his head and jogged to catch up to Lemmy and Iggy.

"Ah, nothing." Larry replied, while starting to walk again.

After a few more rather tense moments, everyone started to notice a change in the air. It was growing more and more dense and getting harder to breathe. As they neared the densest part of the path, they stopped in awe and shock.

"This is huge!" Larry exclaimed. The Fire Plains terrain were full of hills and active volcanoes which created pools and rivers of hot lava. The sky matched the grey sadness the place seemed to give off. It gave the boys the creeps.

"So… where are we going now?"

"I think we should find the Fire Plain Koopa Castle, even if it got demolished during the war…" Iggy replied, dropping his head. He looked like he was starting to cry.

"What's up Iggy?" Lemmy rolled near his brother, and put an hand on his back.

"Nothing." Iggy replied.

"Iggy, people don't cry for nothing. What's going on?" Lemmy asked again; he couldn't stand his brother hiding the truth. Lemmy was the only one Iggy could speak to safely, but he still didn't get that.

 _'Father survived the war, and he became the king… but what about our mother? Why she isn't there to help us? I have to discover more…'_

"No really. It's nothing."

"If you say so…" Lemmy said, defeated. _'Iggy is hiding something… but what? Maybe it's still because he thinks he's just a weight to the family and everyone? I wonder...'_

"These lava pools and rivers are everywhere! Pay attention!" Larry warned his brothers.

"If we climb up that hill we should be able to see where we are…" Lemmy said, pointing to a nearby hill.

"Okay then... Whoever gets there first gets the Koopa Kingdom's heirship!" Larry said laughing, and he started to sprint as fast as he could.

"Wait for me!" Lemmy joined him, followed by Iggy, that wasn't running, he was just walking.

Larry was pretty fast. He jumped and darted and lept and bounded past hills and dead tree trunks, while Lemmy managed to maneuver using his bouncy ball. Iggy wasn't paying any attention past trying not to roast himself.

"I won! I won! You two losers!" Larry started to laugh, while Lemmy was trying to jump on his ball to climb the hill. Iggy strutted in a few moments later.

"That was fun, but don't call anyone a loser, Larry... Iggy's been through enough." Lemmy gently scolded his younger brother. Larry nodded sheepishly."I'm sorry Lemmy, I didn't mean to… I was just joking!"

"Its okay. I know I'm a loser..." Iggy mumbled, distracted by other thoughts in his head.

"You aren't! I meant that I'm the best at running! That's all!" Larry said.

"...yeah, okay..."

From the hill, lava fields and volcanos could be seen. And an huge crumbling building that appeared to be the Fire Plain Koopa's castle.

But Iggy noticed something odd. From the castle, a light beam could be seen, going up in the sky.

"What's that beam? The castle's totally destroyed!" Iggy asked, full of curiosity.

"Well, let's find out! Race ya?" Larry said, getting ready to run. Lemmy shook his head no.

"No race this time." Lemmy said. "We have to be careful, so let's walk. Maybe we'll find some other clues along the way, too."

"True, true..." Larry said, playfully rolling his eyes and jogging ahead. "Well, let's go then!"

After some walking, they reached the big castle. It was very similar to their castle, with the exception of burnt, broken and collapsed walls.

"Let's get inside! Can't wait to get treasure hunting!" Larry laughed as he pushed rocks and other debris out of the way to get in. Iggy and Lemmy looked at each other, shrugged and laughed as they followed suit.

"We aren't doing anything like that, you know!" Lemmy started to say, followed by Iggy.

They approached the door. "It's closed!" Larry said, picking up his knife and approaching it. The other two looked around, failing to notice what Larry was doing.

"Maybe we can get in through the holes?" Lemmy proposed, looking at Iggy.

"I'm up for that… I guess…" Iggy was worried, and he walked to the hole, Lemmy close behind.

"No way... even for me, I'm too small..." Lemmy said, trying to cling to the hole.

"Larry, are you coming?"

"Yeah, yeah, give me a second…" Larry replied. His brothers were looking at him, wondering why he was staring at the door for so long, at least, from what they could see.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lemmy asked, baffled.

"Just… something fun." Larry replied, when he finally stepped back.

"Did it! Yay!"

Larry pushed the creaky door open, and looked at his still in shock older brothers.

"You can pick the lock! I didn't know you could do that!" Larry grinned.

"Yeah, comes with being sneaky, you know. Shall we?" He gestured before turning and entering the old and forsaken place. Lemmy slowly followed after him, and Iggy brought up the rear.

* * *

"Sir, the koopalings are inside the castle." The crowned guy said radioed in. The mysterious figure smirked and tapped his fingers together gleefully.

"Very well. Leave them for now… they won't make it for sure. None of them will..."

* * *

 **Chapter 9 is done! =D**

 **I would like to leave a question. Who is the guy on the throne? And who is the guy with the crown?**

 **As usual, I would like to thank 'LuigiWife1551' for the beta read! Thank you so much :3**

 **Please leave a review or PM me if you have any question, advice or something like that =D**

 **And of course, I would like to thank everyone that Favorited/Followed/Reviewed the story! Thank you so much!**

 **See ya~ Ah Ah!**


	10. Darkness and Other Things

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello!**

 **I really loved writing this chapter, and I would like to thank you all for that many reviews to one single chapter! Woah!**

 **And about the last chapter's question, no one got it right! Continue guessing :P**

 **Disclaimer: I just own the plot and the OCs.**

 **Alright, Let's-a-go!**

* * *

 **Solution**

 **Chapter 10: Darkness and Other Things**

* * *

The door closed behind the three koopalings as they stood in the darkest place any of them had ever seen. Iggy took out his wand and illuminated the area so they could see where they were.

"Ugh... this place gives me the creeps..." Larry muttered, inching closer to Lemmy and Iggy. The other two quietly agreed.

"Guess it must be dark outside now, too... otherwise we could at least still see in here..." Iggy mumbled. Lemmy let out a yawn; maybe his brother was right. If that was the case, they would need to camp out someplace for the night.

This would be an ideal place, if it wasn't so dark, creepy and potentially dangerous...

"Y-You guys think we should sleep in here? It's getting late, after all..." Lemmy suggested, although he wished they could be anywhere BUT here. _'Suck it up, Lemmy. You're the eldest. Just don't let them think you're scared.'_

"Yeah. May as well, I suppose." Iggy answered.

"We should make a fire so we don't freeze over I suppose... but where to make one?" Lemmy wondered.

"I can make one. I just need some stones and some wood." Larry offered. Lemmy nodded.

"Now where can we find that stuff?"

Larry and Iggy both looked down the hall, striaght ahead. There was another door there that they hadn't noticed when they first walked inside. Iggy inched closer so that he could see it, but he wasn't planning on pushing it open.

"Well, here's something. Anyone care to peek inside?"

Larry grinned, and snatching Iggy's wand, made it clear he wanted to go in first. Iggy blinked before annoyance set in. "Larry, seriously? Don't you have your own wand with you?!"

"Yeah, but yours is lit! Come check this out!" he yelled from inside the room. Shrugging hopelessly, Lemmy looked to his brother to make sure he was alright before they went to see what Larry was making such a fuss about.

"See? Wood everywhere!" Larry laughed as the other two walked inside. Larry looked around and realized they were in someone's dining room. Authentic wooden chairs, a table, and several other pieces lined the room wall to wall.

"Let's make these old-fashioned tables into one fashionable fire, my bros!" Larry chuckled, causing the others to join in.

"Terrible joke, Larry." Iggy commented. Larry shrugged.

"Yeah, but it made you laugh, now didn't it? Let's get this stuff outta here. This place seriously gives me the creeps..." Larry shuddered before approaching the table.

 _'You don't need to tell me twice, bro.'_ the elder brothers thought at the same time. Together with Larry's knife, they broke down several pieces of wood from the table and a few chairs and quickly carried it to a small, out of the way but comfortable corner. Iggy and Larry grabbed a few stones from the ruins, and with a bit of fire breathing power, they soon had a pretty good fire.

Lemmy made sure the dining room door was locked; all the darkness was starting to get to him. He then joined his other siblings. Larry returned back Iggy's wand, and the three sat in silence for a bit.

"What now?" Lemmy asked, poking at the fire with a random stick. Larry shrugged, but it was Iggy who had them concerned.

"Hey Iggs, you okay? You're shivering to death over there..." Larry asked softly. Sure enough, due to the dropping temperatures and the lack of clothes Iggy actually had, he wasn't holding up too well. He smiled weakly.

"I'm fine, it's... just colder than I thought that's all. A-anyways, we should get some sleep."

"Keep in mind that at least two of us should be awake and look after who is sleeping." Lemmy explained. "And Iggy should be the first to sleep, he deserves it more than us."

"I wanted to sleep first! I'm youngest! And for pete's sake, staring at nothing is BORING!" Larry whined rather loudly. Lemmy rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Shhh Larry! You don't want to wake the spirits up, do you?" Lemmy said with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. Larry was quiet for a moment, then suddenly had a change of heart.

"Fine… Iggy, go to sleep." Larry replied in defeat.

"I really don't care, Lemmy. Let Larry sleep first." Iggy said. Lemmy wasn't hearing it.

"You definitely need to sleep. I can see you really haven't and you look like you need it."

Iggy was astonished by his brother's words. Given the fact he was freezing, far more tired than he wanted to admit, AND even if he got out the corner, Larry would tackle him and make him sleep, he gave up and got as comfortable as he could in the corner, pulling his cloak close to his body.

"Good night, you guys."

Lemmy sat down at Iggy's left. "Good night, brother."

Larry sat down at Iggy's right. "Good night, Iggy!"

After some time, Larry and Lemmy started to talk. They were unaware that Iggy was still awake. He couldn't sleep, having far too much weighting on his mind and inside his heart. But he tried to keep as still as possible so his brothers wouldn't worry.

"Larry." Lemmy said.

"Yeah?"

"I wondered what could've happened if Iggy had gone on by himself... looking for this stupid gem..." Lemmy was getting angry about it again, and Larry could somewhat understand why... from both brother's point of view.

"Well, he just wants to help you, Lemmy. Don't get so upset at him."

"Yeah, but that's... ugh, that's not it. Iggy thinks this so-called family we have hates him, when in reality they all hate ME! He's just caught in the cross fire because he's with me a lot of the time." Lemmy snapped to no one in particualar. Larry fell quiet.

"Can you blame him, though?" Larry finally asked after awhile. Lemmy was confused. "Blame who? Iggy?"

Larry nodded, staring at the sparks and colors from the fire that slowly burned. "He probably figured finding this thing and going on this crazy adventure would prove to Dad he's worth something. But I don't think that's the whole reason, and I know Iggy isn't really trying to tell us everything right now."

"Why not?! We're his family, he should trust us!"

"Yeah, that's true, but maybe it's himself he can't trust. He's not used to dealing with things like this. Dealing with everyone picking on you and this family we're supposed to be but we're not. He's just scared, I think. So you can't blame him for what he was doing."

Lemmy was at a loss. He too, stared at the fire for a long while. Iggy, in the meantime, was listening closely, although one couldn't tell from where he lay.

"... he isn't getting it. I don't want to be normal. I've lived this long like this, and nothing can help it. I just want him to be happy..." Lemmy said softly. Larry sighed.

"If he knows what that is, he could be. But you're a huge part of that, Lemmy. Don't forget that."

Iggy couldn't believe what he was hearing. _'Lemmy... actually meant that? And Larry too... but why?'_

 **'You need to trust their words, Iggy. You're all still a family. You all just need time to understand what made you that way. And you need to learn about yourself most of all.'**

' _I hope you're right…'_

 **'I'm always right!'**

Iggy's groaning put an end to the two brother's little conversation. They went to check on him, and were scared because his shivering had gotten worse. He was curled up rather tight in the cloak he wore, and Lemmy at first thought he was just too cold to sleep right.

"Larry, give Iggy your cloak. He's freezing to death!" Lemmy ordered, following suit. Larry did then knelt close to his brother.

"You okay?"

"H-Head... hurts..." Iggy strained to get out. It was then Larry paused and looked up. Something was definitely there, but because of the darkness he couldn't tell exactly WHAT it was.

"Lem, hand me Iggy's wand for a second."

"Why? What's wrong?" Lemmy asked as he did what his brother requested. Larry illuminated the wand and aimed it straight up before he froze.

"Holy crap... Lemmy, look up." Larry said simply. Lemmy did, and wished he hadn't.

Big Spiders were on the ceiling, ready to get down and attack.

"It can't be... what are those things?" Lemmy asked as some spiders started to fall from the ceiling. There was far too many for a good count, but the two koopalings knew they were severely outmatched.

"Are you kidding right now?! Lem, come on!" Larry shouted, charging headfirst into the spider ambush. Lemmy started to follow, until he realized Iggy was barely able to stand, let alone fight.

 _'Crap... I gotta leave him here. I have to help Larry!'_ Lemmy drew his wooden sword, hoping he knew what he was about to do, and charged after Larry.

Neither noticed Iggy attempting to climb the wall in his weakened state, trying to stand up.

* * *

 **What the shell! What will happen next? Stay tuned for the next chapter!**

 **A question(other than the Chapter 9 one): What do you think: Are they capable of getting the four pieces? If yes, why? If not, why?**

 **As usual, I would like to thank 'LuigiWife1551' for the beta read! Thank you so much :3**

 **Please leave a review or PM me if you have any question, advice or something like that =D**

 **And of course, I would like to thank everyone that Favorited/Followed/Reviewed the story! Thank you so much!**

 **See ya~ Ah Ah!**


	11. Time to Fight!

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello!**

 **This chapter was a challenge for me, so I really don't know how it turned out. This gave me an hard time. An HARD time.**

 **Disclaimer: I just own the plot and the OCs.**

 **Alright, Let's-a-go!**

* * *

 **Solution**

 **Chapter 11: Time to Fight!**

* * *

"Take this!" Larry screamed, successfully cutting a spider in two. He grinned triumphantly; it worked!

Lemmy smiled as well, until he looked back and his faith faulted. "Aw crap... there's more?!"

"There's too many of them! We kill one, and ten more pop up!" Larry exclaimed, swiping away two more spiders from his side. Iggy struggled to stand upright; he was still far too weak to fight just yet.

"Can we really do this?" Lemmy wondered as he swiped left and right, trying his best to keep his siblings safe. _'Even if we can't... I HAVE to keep them safe!'_

All the spiders started to run at the two, ready for an assault that could easily wipe the three koopas. Lemmy and Larry braced themselves for the onslaught.

 _'Can... Can I save them?'_

 **'Of course you can.'** And this was the answer Iggy was waiting for.

"We've gotta try anyway! Move out of the way!" Iggy suddenly yelled from behind. Smashing the bottom of the wand to the ground, he casted a magic spell.

"Take this! Fairy's Light!"

At that words, the wand emitted a light green beam that enlightened the room.

"What on earth!?" Larry said while both him and Lemmy covered their eyes. The spiders were temporarily stunned, which gave the koopalings time to attack.

"Larry! Now, strike them down!" Lemmy ordered as he quickly advanced and destroyed two more spiders. Larry obeyed him and attacked furiously, taking out a few more.

"Ugh…d-did it w-work..." the taller koopaling breathed before his legs gave out from under him. "Iggy!" Lemmy screamed at the sight of his brother.

He decided the best course of action was to run. NOW.

"Lemmy, hold on!" Larry quickly ran to Iggy, and took his green-flaming wand. He positioned in front of the remainder spiders, and tried to cast Iggy's spell. "Fairy Beam!" Nothing happened.

"Why doesn't it work!?" Larry yelled, slamming the wand in anger on the ground.

"Magic spells works only with the owner of the wand, or at least Iggy told me that." Lemmy said, while trying to evade a spider's jump. "But I think you cast the wrong spell- aw snap, move!"

"That's why me, Iggy and Ludwig have all different wands…" Larry said with surprise, throwing the wand near Iggy. "I actually didn't know th- Ow!" Larry evaded a spider's attack, and he counterattacked on its rear, bringing it to the ground. He wasn't sure if it would kill him, but for now, it worked.

Lemmy was amazed; Larry was so young yet so strong...

"Larry! Your back! Watch out!" Lemmy gasped, quickly attacking a spider and killing two more that had appeared out of nowhere.

"Leave my bro alone!" Larry screamed, now more focused and determined than ever. He swing somewhat wildly, killing off a total of seven more spiders.

Lemmy was done dealing with spiders for now; Iggy was getting worse and worse by the second. Looking at his other brother having a ball with the spiders, he sighed heavily and said, "Larry, let's go! Iggy isn't gonna make it much longer!"

Larry heard him and pushed back a few spiders, allowing the koopalings to dart out of the room, open the door to the dining room, and illuminate it so they could rest and come up with another plan.

"Larry… I told you we should've stayed here watching at what you called 'stare at nothing'." Lemmy panted. Larry was grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"I didn't know I was this strong!" Larry said, happily, like nothing happened. He sat back and sighed happily. Lemmy eyed him with a semi-deadly glare; why couldn't his brother understand what just happened?

"Well, if Iggy didn't help us, we were going to die. We were just lucky." Lemmy said seriously, trying to explain how things had really been just now.

"Oh… well, whatever." Larry said, sheepishly. "I mean, we still won..."

"I hope he's get better soon…" Lemmy said, putting his right hand on Iggy's forehead, completing ignoring what his brother just said.

"Kamek to-" Larry tried to say something, but Lemmy cut him off. "Kamek? What?"

"Lemme speak!" Larry said angrily at his brother, he didn't like when someone interrupted him while he was speaking. He simply couldn't stand that. Lemmy was slightly taken aback but decided to let it slide.

"Okay then... what did he say?"

"Anyways, Kamek told me that the wands me, Iggy and Ludwig have are kinda weak…"

"So what does that have to do with Iggy?" Lemmy asked nervously. Larry looked at his sleeping older brother before picking up his wand.

"It means that our spells are weak, and so our inner magical energy consumption is very low." Larry simplified. "Iggy was already weakened, maybe one of the spiders hit him, and he got weaker and weaker…"

"So it's like, draining his energy away?" Lemmy asked weakly, already knowing what the answer was going to be. Larry nodded silently before he set the wand down. Lemmy looked at Iggy and almost began to have a breakdown.

Placing a gentle claw on his trembling shoulder, Larry smiled softly. "You don't have to cry Lem. He just need to rest. It's not a serious thing. He just needs rest and lots of it."

"Oh…okay." Lemmy said, leaning on the wall, next to Iggy. Larry sighed.

"Well, get some sleep. I'll watch over you guys." Larry volunteered, Lemmy looking horrified at the concept.

"What? Oh, you mean them. Don't worry! I'll destroy them all if they show up again!" Larry said, smirking. Lemmy was confused.

 _'Wasn't he the one who said he wanted to sleep first? I guess he wants to test his true strength... that's Larry for you.'_

"Okay then... thank you for this, Larry. I owe you big time." Lemmy mumbled. "Promise me you'll wake me if anything goes wrong, okay?"

"I promise!" Larry said, putting his right hand on his heart.

"Okay then. Good night, Larry. Be careful, okay?" Lemmy warned before he leaned close to Iggy.

"Good night, Iggy." Lemmy put his head near Iggy's, and then whispered in his ear. "Sleep well."

* * *

 **Oh oh done :o**

 **I would like to say that in few days probably a new story from me will come, but it will be updated with a lower rate than this. Stay tuned!**

 **As usual, I would like to thank 'LuigiWife1551' for the beta read! Thank you so much :3**

 **Please leave a review or PM me if you have any question, advice or something like that =D**

 **And of course, I would like to thank everyone that Favorited/Followed/Reviewed the story! Thank you so much!**

 **See ya~ Ah Ah!**


	12. Fire Temple

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello!**

 **Sorry for the endless waiting for this chapter! At least it is the longest chapter I ever wrote!**

 **Disclaimer: I just own the plot and the OCs.**

 **Alright, Let's-a-go!**

* * *

 **Solution**

 **Chapter 12: Fire Temple**

* * *

Lemmy yawned and woke just as the fire keeping them warm almost went out. He blinked to adjust his eyes and looked around.

Iggy seemed to be getting better, which was also a good thing. He smiled at him then checked on Larry.

Other than a few scratches from their first battle, Larry seemed to be okay, too. But he was supposed to be watching Iggy, right?

As he stood and got on top of his ball, he made a faint noise that woke Larry up fast. The young koopaling quickly grabbed his knife, prepared for battle.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Larry shouted. Lemmy rolled a little closer, and once Larry saw it was just him, he calmed down and let out a large scale yawn.

"S-sorry, bro... I hadn't noticed I fell asleep..." Larry apologized. Lemmy was upset, especially since Larry had practically forced him to sleep first, but he remembered he was still just a kid. His expression softened and he patted him on the head.

"Its okay. The important thing is that we're all okay. Right?"

"Right!" Larry said, returning the smile. It was then Iggy finally began to come around, but he felt dizzy and weak. Lemmy and Larry knelt next to him to help support him.

"Hey, you okay?" Larry asked. Iggy nodded.

"I feel so dizzy" Iggy said, when Larry came near him, and tried to keep his back straight.

"Iggy, do you feel alright now?" Lemmy asked.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine... j-just dizzy, is all. Give me a minute..." Iggy said tiredly as he struggled to collect himself. Lemmy and Larry said nothing, but stayed close by in case he needed help getting up.

"A-alright... I can stand. Thanks, you two." Iggy said after he had finally managed to stand on his own. Lemmy hopped back on his ball.

"No problem, Iggy. Just be careful, okay?" Iggy nodded.

Larry and Iggy looked around as Iggy streched and cracked his neck to get the kinks out. "Well I think we'd better get moving. There was a beam of light at the top of this castle, right?"

"Yeah. We may as well see what else is in this creepy place..." Larry said, none too pleased with what they saw so far.

"Okay, so let's go then!" Lemmy led the gang deeper in the temple, using Iggy's light as their guide.

"Hang on. Iggy, bring your wand over here a moment." Lemmy suddenly said as he halted. Larry almost crashed into him, but regained himself and scuttled over to Lemmy's left side. Iggy flanked his right and pointed his wand straight ahead.

What lay before them was a set of stairs. "Think it goes somewhere?" Larry asked.

Lemmy shrugged, although he was scared to find out the answers himself. "Dunno. I guess we gotta go down there to find out."

Larry gulped; he was really beginning to hate the place. Lemmy was no different, and neither was Iggy, although it was clear Iggy was scared senseless. Lemmy took the wand from him and led them way, moving carefully so he wouldn't break his ball. Larry grabbed Iggy's hand and pulled him along.

 _'Come on I can do this!'_ Iggy thought, but his fear and restlessness was at the peak once he reached the bottom of the basement.

It was just a square room, cramped as heck. In front of them were two statues of what appeared to be a girl with long white hair and a red dress. In between the two statues was a large red door.

"Man, this place is weird... and I don't see how we're getting in there without a key or something." Lemmy noticed. Iggy walked off to the door, while Larry wandered around the small room.

"I won't stop to say that… this place gives me the creeps…" Larry muttered. He then followed Iggy to the door, and soon, Lemmy followed suit, giving the wand to Iggy so he could examine the door.

"Look here." Larry said, pointing to the handles. "It seems to have something written on it."

"Oh? Let me see…" Iggy squinted at the language that was etched into the door. It was an unknown language to both of his brothers.

"What does it say?"

"Abandon hope all ye who enter here." Iggy read slowly. "That's all it says."

"I hope nothing bad is in there..." Larry said jokingly. "Come on, we already experienced the worst thing already! Can it get any worse?"

Before either brother could respond, Larry quickly pushed open the door. Once again, it led to a dark room. As soon as he stepped in, the candles that seemed to be the main source of light illuminated the room, revealing a long platform, with lava pits every few feet. At the very end was yet another red door.

"Talk about home sweet home..." Lemmy grumbled under his breath. Larry just stared in shock.

"Well, let's get this mess done." He began to roll when Iggy suddenly yelled at him to stand back. Lemmy barely managed to dodge Iggy's green fireball that he shot out. It went straight across the platform, hitting the opposite door. No sooner than he did that, traps along the walls activated, shooting out rather hot fireballs of their own.

Lemmy blinked; he hadn't noticed those traps when the room lit up, but Iggy sure did. He would've been one dead koopa had he kept rolling.

"Thank you Iggy. You saved me." Lemmy said with a smile.

"No problem, Lemmy." Iggy replied. "But keep your eyes open. I doubt that was all this place had."

"Well, that's just great. How the heck are we getting past that mess?" Larry asked. Lemmy looked around and spotted what he thought was some sort of lever way across the end of the room, near the locked door.

"I see something over there... looks like a lever of some kind." Iggy noted. Lemmy and Larry squinted and they soon saw it too.

"As stupid as this room is, one of us has to get over there and pull that thing down so we can cross." Iggy said. Lemmy and Iggy both looked at Larry, who was quick to back out of that plan.

"No, no, no! Don't look at me! I ain't getting roasted!"

"But you are the only one that can get through that mess! Please Larry!" Lemmy pleaded with him. Larry grinned and told his brothers to stand back.

"I kid! I'm going in!" Larry said jokingly. He made it past the easy booby trap with ease and quickly reached the lever. "Can I do it again?" he yelled.

"Just push the lever!" Lemmy shouted, rolling his eyes and laughing.

"Done!"

The traps that were throwing fire balls deactivated, and the door opened. Larry froze for a moment before turning around, and his face fell flat.

"More spooky rooms... great... just great..." he grumbled as he walked through the red door. His older brothers soon caught up to him.

The room was enlightened with blue lights that came from out of nowhere, and two things were strongly noticeable about the room: the floor and a dome on the ceiling.

"Woah, what is this? The sky?" Larry asked, looking at the ceiling. Lots of white points could been seen. Larry assumed they were stars.

"And look at the ground! What are these signs?" Lemmy pointed at the floor. There were some circles around another little circle at the center of the room.

Iggy looked around, and noticed that at the sides of the room there were some small statues, one with a spherical object on it. He chuckled.

"Guys, I may be wrong, but I think… we're going to reproduce the Solar System."

"What are you talking about?" Both of his brothers asked, confused. Iggy walked over and collected the spherical object. "Just help me place the statues where I tell you, okay?"

"I don't think I can drag these." Lemmy realized; the statues were almost ten times his size and weight. Iggy reassured him with a pat on his back. "Don't worry. You can help me soon. Me and Larry will move these."

Lemmy nodded. "Alright."

"Okay, Larry, place the Sun over there." Iggy directed, pointing at the center of the room. Larry nodded and went to move the thing.

"This is… massive." Larry was surprised he could do it. Iggy went over to help him. With some effort, they managed to put it in the center of the room. Once it was placed, the top of the statue shot a beam to the ceiling, creating the Sun.

"So I guess those other circles must be planets?" Iggy nodded.

"Yeah. Seems like we gotta put them in order. That's easy."

"Really?" Lemmy asked, not knowing a thing about planets or astrology. Iggy smiled.

"Yeah, Lemmy. First its Mercury, then Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune."

"Woah. How did you all that and remember it?" Larry asked. Iggy chuckled at Larry's curiosity and handed him another spherical statue.

"Its the Universe, Larry. That's where we live. Its called Astrology. I like the universe, I like to study the stars, the planets, and the mysteries around it. Do you know where Mario comes from?" Iggy asked to his brothers.

"Uh, the Mushroom Kingdom?" Larry guessed. Iggy shook his head no.

"A different planet from ours called Earth. But I don't know how he came here in the first place; we're millions of billions of light years from there." Iggy replied.

"Light years?" Both of his brothers were confused, but Iggy knew they didn't know anything about the matter. "Its a lot to teach you two in a few minutes. Let's get these set up or we aren't leaving no time soon."

Lemmy and Larry agreed to that plan, and the next five or so minutes was spent placing the planets in the order Iggy told them to place them in. As the last planet was placed, a door opened, leading underground.

"Next room I guess?" Larry shrugged.

"Can't be any different so let's do this!" With that, he jumped down the hole. Lemmy and Iggy looked at each other.

"He has a point."

"Yeah, let's go."

"Woo-hoo!" Lemmy started to shout. It seemed like fun sliding, until they noticed they were sliding for quite some time.

"Where are we goinggggg?" Larry yelled.

"I dunoooooo!" Lemmy replied. getting a bit nervous.

The slide eventually stopped with the boys landing in water. They got out fast, for the water was freezing cold, and pushed open another door that was ahead of them.

The room was an octagonal room. At the center of the room were some stairs that lead to a pedestal. On the pedestal, there was a red gem.

"Is that it? That Fire Gem thing?" Lemmy asked, wondering why it was emitting such a bright white light. Larry of course, got greedy and ran past them.

"This is mine!" Larry ran to the pedestal, but before he could take the gem, he got shot by a fireball from one of the pillars around the pedestal.

"Ouch, that smarts..." Larry groaned. Lemmy and Iggy ran towards him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, but where-"

Iggy suddenly gasped. "What? Iggy, what is it?"

Iggy pointed at the pillar, which seemed to look oddly familiar to the boys. "I know her from someplace..."

Red dress and eyes, white hair, grey body. It clicked into place for them really fast.

"You're one of those creepy statues we saw at the entrance!" Iggy shouted at the floating entity.

"I'm Focalora, the Fire Guardian. Now prepare to die, trespassers!"

She put her hands together, forming a ball. As the ball grew, it got redder and larger in size. As soon as she had it the way she wanted it, she shot it out towards the boys, who were able to dodge out of the way.

"What the heck?! Wait a second! Let us explain!" Larry tried to reason with the girl.

"And why should I do that? Hmm? This is my job- to keep the precious Fire Gem away from intruders like you! So come and fight me if you want it so bad!" Focalora said. Her second attack complete, it would have been the end for the koopalings, until...

 **"Stop it! They are good people! Hand them the gem!"** Aryal shouted. Everyone paused.

Larry and Lemmy didn't know who had said that. "Bro, did we invite someone else along for the ride?" Larry whispered. Lemmy shook his head no.

Focalora knew who it was, and ceased her attack. It was through Iggy that Aryal was speaking, and the brothers finally put two and two together. They stood back and watched the two talk.

 **"Yes, its me. Look, just give them the gem, okay? They're going to need it! They are trying to save the world!"** Aryal pleaded with Focalora. The latter didn't seem convoked, but for some reason, went against her judgement and collected the gem.

"Are you sure about this? How can you be certain they are trustworthy?"

 **"Trust me, I know. You'll see. Please, Focalora. Just give them the gem."** Aryal said once more.

After a pause, she nodded. It was at that point Iggy regained control over himself. Larry went to get the gem, while Lemmy stood there, confused.

"Aryal what is going on?" Iggy demanded, not caring that he looking somewhat crazy.

"Iggy, what just happened? What's going on?"

Lemmy was scared for his brother, but he was also hurt. His brother knew of this being- Aryal or whatever she was called- and he must've known at this Focolara person too... but why hide something that important?

"Iggy, why did you lie to me?"

"Lemmy, I'm not-"

"Stop saying that! You are! We just saw you talking like a girl!" Lemmy yelled back. While they were bickering, Larry approached Focalora once more.

"She better be right about you three. If this gem falls in the wrong hands, I will come back and destroy you." she warned. Larry grinned.

"Don't worry, Focalora. It won't. And thank you very much." Then a thought struck him. There were no doors in there other than the ones used to enter.

"Uh, how do we get out of here?" Larry asked her. Focolara smirked.

"There is a teleport device under the pedestal. Just wait a second…" A quick hand motion, and the teleportation device appeared.

"You can use this to return to where you need to be."

"Thank you so much, Focalora." Larry said. She nodded, and soon she was gone too.

"Don't forget, you guys are the keepers of this gem. Protect it. Understand?" Focalora's voice echoed. Larry nodded. "I got it, I got it."

Larry looked over his shoulder. "Oh boy... those two are really going at it. Not the best time to celebrate, I suppose..." He approached his brothers, holding the first needed item for their journey.

"Iggy, you knew the girl who was talking, so you must know something else! How do you not know anything?!" Lemmy snapped. Larry quietly took Iggy's bag and placed them gem inside, then sat down. _'This is gonna take a minute, I can see...'_

"I don't know! I wasn't speaking! Heck, I barely know her other than her name!"

"That makes NO sense! How is it that YOU and only YOU somehow figured we were here to save the world?! And from what?! Things like that don't just pop out of thin air!"

Iggy threw his hands up in defeat.. "I don't know! I don't know... ugh. I need some time to think." Iggy walked off.

"Well, I'm gonna go... I'll meet you guys in a bit." Larry took Iggy's bag and stepped on the device. In a flash, he was outside the castle, awaiting his brothers.

"Jeez, what a mess."

Lemmy and Iggy were the only two left in the room. Neither felt like speaking, so Lemmy rolled over to the device and was soon paired with Larry. Lemmy looked upset, but Larry had a feeling there was more to it than that. He chose to keep his mouth shut for now.

 _'What is going on? Who is Focalora? Who are you? How do you speak to people using my body?!'_ Iggy demanded to know.

 _ **'I wish I could explain, but just know I'm here to help you, Iggy.'**_

 _'Of course. You know that thanks to you now Lemmy hates me?'_

 _ **'Iggy, he doesn't hate you. He's just upset.'**_

 _'Yeah, thanks to you.'_

 _ **'Sorry, Iggy.'**_

 _'If you want to keep this little secret up, fine. I don't get the big deal about wanting to know, and now I really want to know what are we saving the world from. And why you failed to mention that the first time.'_

After getting no reply, Iggy let out a breath and stepped on the teleportation device. _'What is so important she couldn't tell me? Lemmy isn't getting it at all... I can't tell him something I really don't know much about!_ '

"Finally! I thought Focalora ate you inside the temple!" Larry shouted at Iggy once he appeared. Iggy smiled sheepishly. He hadn't noticed he was gone that long.

"I'm sorry about that. But I noticed the beam above the castle is gone..."

"Seems like you didn't notice that most of the castle was pretty much gone!" Larry said jokingly, trying to lighten the tense mood. Iggy shook his head no.

"No... I hadn't noticed..."

"Where are we going now?" Lemmy asked, looking at Iggy and Larry. Iggy shrugged.

"I don't know. The Earth piece should be someplace in the Forest of Mist, though. We could start there. There's also an Ice Mountains or something but I don't know where it is."

"So? Which one is first?" Larry asked impatiently.

"Both of them could be wrong, but we're closest to the forest, so we may as well go there."

"Good Idea, Let's go then! I'll get there first!" Larry shouted as he started to run. Lemmy followed suit after him.

 _'He will never change!'_ Lemmy laughed. Iggy pulled up the rear, but was far too lost in his own world to pay much attention.

 _'What saving are we doing? I just wanted to help Lemmy... how did we get caught up in this mess?'_

* * *

 **So they finally have the Fire Gem! Will Iggy reveal what is going on in his head? Read to Know!**

 **About my other story, Cracking: Second Chapter should be out soon!**

 **As usual, I would like to thank 'LuigiWife1551' for the beta read! Thank you so much :3**

 **Please leave a review or PM me if you have any question, advice or something like that =D**

 **And of course, I would like to thank everyone that Favorited/Followed/Reviewed the story! Thank you so much!**

 **See ya~ Ah Ah!**


	13. Shimmering Marsh

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello!**

 **And here is Solution Chapter 13! Thank you for the support you show me every chapter :) This is one of my favorite chapters :)**

 **Disclaimer: I just own the plot and the OCs.**

 **Alright, Let's-a-go!**

* * *

 **Solution**

 **Chapter 13: Shimmering Marsh**

* * *

The trio soon reached the entrance to the Forest of Mist, and decided to take a rest break. Lemmy, however, was still concerned with the events that had transpired back at the temple, and called Iggy out on it.

"Its... its nothing, Lemmy. Come on, let's keep going." Iggy had barely sat five minutes, but Lemmy had a feeling that his brother was lying. Of course, he chose to take the safe option- say nothing more on the matter.

"If you say so. Let's go, Larry."

"Already? Five more minutes!" Larry whined. Iggy ignored that and yanked the half sleepy koopaling to his feet. "Jeez, fine, fine!"

"Okay, so where to now?" Lemmy asked the two. Iggy shrugged, and once more, knowledgeable Larry came to the rescue.

"I read someplace that, apparently, the Forest of Mist is near our home. Then its Koopatropolis, the Fire Plains and the Shimmering Marsh."

The last part caught Iggy's attention. "You think that the Shimmering Marsh contains the Earth piece or the Water piece? It makes sense..." Iggy mumbled as he kept an eye out for anything strange. Lemmy couldn't be bothered to keep up with the conversation, so he kept quiet.

After some minutes of walking, they reached Lizardia, but they decided it best to avoid being spotted by anyone and being called out by the king himself. Keeping a low profile, Larry made a visual of where they would be using the land around them as markers.

"So we came from there when we were at Koopatropolis." Larry started to think aloud while indicating his right, "then we came from there when we were in the Fire Plains," Larry pointed behind him, "and then we came from there when we went to the Light Tree." Larry pointed directly in front of him.

"Sooooo... I guess we should go this way?" he questioned, pointing to his left. Lemmy and Iggy nodded in agreement and the trio started off, but something was nagging the youngest of the bunch in the back of his mind.

'Who's watching us?' he thought worriedly. It did in fact feel like there was something or someone out there, waiting to strike...

"Come out whoever you are!" Larry suddenly shouted to no one in particular, getting his knife out. The shout alerted his two brothers and they halted, looking confused at Larry, who was taking up a battle stance with what appeared to be the air and trees.

"Larry, what are you-"

Suddenly, four humanoid creatures dressed in nothing but black lept out and surrounded the koopalings, startling Iggy and Lemmy.

"Give us the gem now!" One of them demanded. It seemed as if he was the tallest or perhaps was the ringleader. He was pointing a sword at Iggy, who was frozen with fear from the weapon being swung in his face.

"What if he doesn't?!" Larry shouted. He went to defend his brother when two smaller henchman quickly moved and grabbed Larry by his arms and twisted them behind his back. He dropped his weapon and was unable to break free from them, although that didn't stop him from trying.

"Larry! Iggy!" Lemmy looked from one brother to another before facing the ringleader, scared but more afraid for his brother's well being. "Let them go!"

"Oh?" The ringleader made a motion under his mask, and in an instant, he had Iggy in his grip and the sword pressed dangerously close to a jugular vein in his neck. Iggy whimpered in fear and shut his eyes in a vain attempt to calm down.

"I would, but I want that gem. Unless..." The sword was pressed so close to Iggy's skin he felt a sharp pain and he let out a small, strangled sob.

"You want to have a headless brother, hmm?"

 _'I shouldn't give them the gem! I CAN'T give them the gem! I've gotta do something...'_

Unsure if he was thinking clearly, Iggy struggled against his captor, who hissed in pain when Iggy stepped on his foot rather hard. The sword clattered to the ground, and Iggy had an opening. Grabbing his wand, he used it like a bat, hitting his captor hard in his face. Staggering back in seething anger, the leader grabbed his jaw and glared at the shaking koopaling with evil unheard of even to him.

"You little... you're gonna pay for that, ya pineapple!" the leader growled.

Iggy had to help his brothers, so he cast three green fireballs at the three men in black. Larry and Lemmy, luckily, got the hint and was able to dodge before losing their heads.

"Thanks, but a warning next time, okay Iggy?" Larry grinned as he faced his captor. "Now let's do this!" Larry shouted, knife now in hand. Lemmy, who had fallen to the ground, struggled to locate his circus ball so he could be of some help to his brothers.

"Grrr... kill the pineapple one and take the gem!" the leader practically hollered, trying to get up to kill Iggy himself.

Larry and Iggy tried to fight the four henchmen off, but found they were being outmatched, and fast. "Iggy, they are too strong! We need a plan and we need it now- gah, crap!' he hissed as a slash got his arm.

"Guys!" Lemmy had finally gotten up and on his ball and he was rolling as fast as he could towards an entrance point. "Come on! Run for it!"

Iggy and Larry wasted no time in ending their little spat and bolting after their brother. The four black robed men looked after them, two of them giving chase.

"AFTER THEM! I WANT THEIR HEADS!" the leader shouted. The koopalings ran as fast as their weakened bodies could manage, but they were being followed and at a rapidly approaching pace.

"T-The... They're gainin'! Lem, what do you think w-we should do?!" Larry panted, losing energy quickly. Lemmy was out of ideas, and was scared for all three of them, when, once again, Iggy used his wand to save them all.

"Fairy's Flight!" Something seemed to appear in front of the three brothers, and Larry soon began laughing as he felt like he was flying on the ground. "Woah! I feel like flyin'! Iggy, what did you do?! YAHOO!" he cheered as he outran one of the black robed runners. Lemmy felt the same way, and laughed as his ball seemed to take a mind of its own. Iggy smiled but said nothing as his magic spell allowed them to reach their destination and leave the four captors in the dust.

The leader grinned under the mask he wore, and ordered his men to retreat. "They haven't seen the last of us... just you wait, you little brats..."

Once the spell wore off, the boys collapsed at the entrance of the Shimmering Marsh, catching their breaths as they looked around. There was mud everywhere, with occasionally a few swamps, marshes and trees that seemed to have not so much as a single leaf on them.

The only special thing about that marsh was the random, sudden storms that left the marsh with a shimmering glow to them. It caught the attention of three weary, wide-eyed children.

"I have to admit..." Lemmy said slowly as he walked a little more into the marsh, "..this is the most beautiful place I've ever seen..."

"Yeah, you're right. Too bad Wendy wouldn't agree- 'there's no one to look at my beauty' and blah blah blah!" Larry said with a smirk. The other two brothers laughed. Suddenly Lemmy stopped and looked further up the marsh.

"Guys, look! That light there! It looks just like the one from the Fire Temple! We must be getting close! We should keep going, what do you say?"

Both brothers agreed and would've started to walk ahead, but one BIG problem stood between the three and their destination.

"I can't cross the mud with my circus ball…" Lemmy muttered, disappointed he had caused such a setback. Larry and Iggy thought for a few minutes, then Iggy knelt in front of him, back facing Lemmy.

"I can try carrying you on my shoulders, but I'm not Roy, so I don't know if I'll be much help…" Iggy said.

"Oh don't say that! You can do it!" Larry cheered. "I'll take the circus ball and carry it."

When Lemmy jumped on Iggy's back, the taller koopaling winced. He hadn't expected Lemmy to be so heavy or to feel such pain as he carried him. But he chose not complain- he had to help Lemmy and he would, no matter what.

After a few minutes, however, Lemmy realized something wasn't right with the way Iggy sounded as he walked. He was panting heavily and occasionally stopping to catch his breath. He grew worried and asked if he was okay.

"I-I'm... fine... w-we're... almost there..." Iggy panted, worse than what he sounded before. Which was true- all they had to do was scale a hill and they'd be right near the light.

"Come on! We can make it over!" Larry called. And they would have too, until something happened to Iggy.

His cheeks had turned red, his vision started to blur, and he couldn't breathe. His legs gave way and he collapsed, Lemmy sitting on top of him. Quickly, he scrambled off and tried to help Iggy breathe.

"Iggy! Iggy! Are you ok?! Breathe, Iggy!" Iggy struggled and soon, he was reduced to a gasping mess of a koopaling. Larry came over and knelt on Iggy's left side as Lemmy decided to make them all take a break.

"Why didn't you say something?! Iggy, you're not well and you can't keep going like this!" Lemmy screamed, close to tears. Iggy smiled weakly, his eyes fighting to stay open and focus on his brothers.

"...t-t-trying... to help... s-sorry Lemmy..." Iggy wheezed. Even that sentence was too much to say, and his eyes fell shut. "So tired..."

Lemmy couldn't help but shake his head and smile hopelessly at Iggy. Larry did as well and he knew they would be resting for now, until Iggy could get his bearings again.

"Time to rest, Iggy. We can start walking again after that.'' Lemmy whispered to him, allowing his head on rest on his lap. It didn't take long until Iggy was soon asleep, and Larry snuggled next to Lemmy's other side.

"Looks like it's time for a nap..." Larry mumbled sleepily. Lemmy nodded in agreement, and soon, he too, was fast asleep. Although he wasn't sure how long that was going to be.

* * *

 **Seems like Iggy is not a good horse! And he didn't revealed anything to his brothers.**

 **One of the next chapters will be a zooming in on what is happening in the Koopa Castle, or anywhere in the Mario World!**

 **As usual, I would like to thank 'LuigiWife1551' for the beta read! Thank you so much :3**

 **Please leave a review or PM me if you have any question, advice or something like that =D**

 **And of course, I would like to thank everyone that Favorited/Followed/Reviewed the story! Thank you so much!**

 **See ya~ Ah Ah!**


	14. Problems Begin

**Author's Note:**

 **Hello!**

 **I know I've not been posting any update, and I'm sorry for that :/**

 **I'm very busy with school these months, and not only with school. That's why I have never stopped writing, and probably won't stop. All this time I've been writing(even if not as much as before). Now that school is coming to an end, I will have more time to write yay ^-^**

 **Since I've not been there for some months, here I show you Solution Chapter 14: Problems Begin. This is one of the longest I've ever written.**

 **Disclaimer:** **I just own the plot and OCs**

 **Alright, Let's-a-go! (Couldn't wait to say that again :D)**

* * *

 **Solution**

 **Chapter 14: Problems Begin**

* * *

The sun rose the next morning, gracing the koopalings and the environment with a soft, warm glow. Lemmy stirred as the first rays of light beamed on him.

"Mmpfh.. hmmm..." Lemmy grumbled as he began to wake. He felt pretty good all things considered, but a lot of things still bothered him greatly, all of which considered his younger brother Iggy.

'They're still out... that's good. But Iggy... why would he want to keep secrets from me? I thought we always told each other everything... and yesterday... he was tired. I saw how much he was trying to stay strong, but he was panting and barely standing up...'

Lemmy sighed and sat up, staring at his slumbering brother, who looked like he was in pain even while he slept. 'Iggy... what's going on with you?'

A few moments later, Larry started to awaken, and Iggy stirred before following suit.

"Hey Lemmy..." Larry yawned as he slowly started to sit up. Iggy let out a larger yawn and rubbed his eyes as he felt around for his glasses.

"Hey Larry, Iggy. You guys okay?" Lemmy asked. Larry nodded, letting out a smaller yawn. Iggy didn't respond at first, having found his glasses and placed them on. Lemmy peered closer at Iggy.

"Iggy?"

The tall koopaling snapped out of his daze and looked at Lemmy with a reassuring smile. "I'm ready, Lemmy. Let's go." he said as he gathered his things.

"Iggy, are you sure? I mean, you guys just got up and..." Lemmy didn't really want to rush things with how everything went down yesterday. He was concerned for both of them, but he was highly worried for Iggy. Something wasn't right with him but Lemmy didn't know how to breech the subject.

Iggy collected his wand and bag and stood up. "No, we should get going. We can get this done if we start heading out now." He shook his head when Lemmy went to argue.

"Lem, I'm fine. Really. Don't worry about me, okay?" he said softly, trying to calm him and in a way, himself. Lemmy lowered his head and decided to go along with what he said for the time being. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to keep a close eye on him.

"Okay, then shall we get going?" Larry said, hopping up and walking ahead. Iggy knelt on the floor and waited for Lemmy to get on him, but Lemmy refused.

"Lemmy? Aren't you getting on?" Lemmy bit his lip and shook his head. "Why not?"

"I think I'll be alright. I can't keep having you carrying me everywhere..." Lemmy started to walk, carefully and slowly. Iggy was very confused, but didn't want to push it further. He quietly walked alongside him.

"If you say so…"

The three koopalings started walking towards the hill that would lead them to their next adventure. By the end of the hike, Larry was pretty tired and worn out from how steep the hill was.

"Oh, jeez! FINALLY we got up there! Good job guys!" Larry panted, giving a weak thumbs-up. "Phew! We did pretty good! See, I'm not even tired!"

Lemmy and Iggy looked at each other and laughed. "Sure, bro. Sure." they both said. Iggy looked around.

"So… is this that temple?"

It looked strongly familiar; a large door with two statues at the sides. It looked like...

"Those two statues… Am I wrong or have we seen them somewhere before?" Lemmy had a feeling he knew the answer.

"Those look exactly like Focalora's Fire Plain statues!" Larry said, amused. "But their dresses and the door are brown, not red!"

"I think that's where the earth pi-" Suddenly, all three of them fell silent when something akin to an explosion caught their attention. They looked around, confused and tense, when Larry spotted something.

"It came from over there!" Larry exclaimed, pointing to the area below them. They squinted their eyes to get a better view, and gasped in surprise.

There was a massive grey and black aircraft parked in what appeared to be an industrial area. Surrounding the craft were red circles, each encased in a soft blue flame. None of the boys knew what that meant, but it couldn't be good. A ramp used to get inside the aircraft was facing in their general direction.

Surrounding the aircraft were boxes, but what they were for was unknown. Below, they three koopalings could hear loud noises, and at first, they had no idea what it was or where it was coming from. Then they noticed something bright blue- a laser beam. It was not just one laser beam, but many, forming the shape of a cage. They inched closer and were more surprised to find the loud noise they heard was from that of a few strange people digging into another portion of the hill.

The three looked at the blue cage, and Lemmy thought aloud, "That person in that cage... they looked very familiar..."

"I know. I can't remember from where, though." Iggy replied. Larry didn't say anything but agreed with his older brothers. The trio thought.. and thought... and then...

"It's one of Focalora's sisters!" all of them said in unison, finally reaching the same conclusion.

Peering closer and being careful not to get detected, they noticed a heavily armored guard wearing what appeared to look like a crown approach the cage. They strained their ears to listen, but gave up- they were too far away to hear anything.

"Who on earth IS that guy?" Lemmy asked his brothers. "I mean, he's got a crown, so he's a king, right? But he's not Dad or Princess Peach so..."

"Look at his hands!" Larry hissed, pointing to the guard's hands as he raised them. Something glistened inside of them. Something a lot like...

"The gems! We need those!" Iggy said, before doing a double take. "Wait a second... he doesn't have the Earth Piece..."

After some time doing whatever he had been doing, the king- or guard, they couldn't tell which- headed towards the aircraft and closed the door. The noise continued and it gave the koopalings a chance to see what they would be dealing with.

All of the remaining soldiers that stood guard were heavily armored as well- there was not a spot of skin to be seen anywhere. Which worried the three young koopalings because they literally could not see if their enemy was alive or not. All of them were armed as well- spears were in all but those who were mining. One of the mining guards also had a string that connected to the cage trapping Folalora's sister.

Larry, Iggy and Lemmy were more concerned with figuring out how they were going to get the gems now locked inside the aircraft. They looked at one another.

"We need to figure out a way inside that thing and get those gems! But how to do that..." Lemmy mused before he and Iggy both looked at Larry. Larry blinked in confusion but quickly caught on and shook his head no.

"No way! I'm not going in there!" he exclaimed.

"Larry, you already do spy work for that cinema place you work at, and for crying out loud you're just plain sneaky! It's the same thing, so why can't you act sneaky now?" Lemmy asked, although he had a hunch he knew the answer.

"That was just a game! You know, something I do for FUN?" Larry worriedly answered, glancing at the craft.

"But this is real, and if I mess this up... we don't get another chance. I don't get another chance."

"Yeah, we know. But we wouldn't be asking you to do this if we didn't know you could, Larry." Iggy said softly, placing his hand on Larry's shoulder. "Just try for our sake, please? If it gets too dangerous we will come and get you out."

Larry thought a bit longer then nodded yes, looking and Lemmy and Iggy with a sudden show of confidence. "Alrighty then, don't beg me too much. I'll be in and out with the gems before you know it!" he grinned before taking off rather suddenly, making sure to pick the direction with less guards.

"Be careful in there, Larry!" Iggy called to his brother. He didn't think Larry could hear him.

It was just the two brothers alone, and Iggy had to admit, it felt kind of awkward. Lemmy decided to break the silence.

"Uh, Iggy... I think we need to talk. About everything." Iggy had a feeling it was coming sooner or later, and while he was grateful Larry wasn't here to overhear any of the information about to be spoken, Iggy still wished Lemmy wouldn't bring it up.

"S-Sure... what do you want to know?"

"You know… why are we searching for these gems in the first place? I think I know the answer but... I also think there's more to it than what you said before…"

Iggy felt like revealing everything he discovered since he left the castle on his own. Within a second, that's exactly what he eneded up doing, which wasn't what Lemmy expected at all.

"I've been trying for ages to try and find a way to help you with your... problem..." He gestured, waving his hand towards the ground- towards Lemmy's feet. "And I've always FAILED, Lem! You shouldn't have to suffer because of my mistakes! And I heard about the gems and I thought they would help and... and..." Iggy was starting to feel his emotions take over him and he paused. Lemmy mulled over the info he had just heard.

"Then... that spirit person you said you spoke to... who was that... and why couldn't you..." Lemmy started softly, realizing that the very thought of Iggy not trusting him with something like that stung. A lot.

Iggy sighed and looked off. "Aryal."

"Aryal?"

"Yeah... that was her name- at least, I think it was a her. She... I don't know, she was saying things about finding this gem when I passed out back at the Forest of Mist. That I had to find the gem and protect it. It felt so real, but I think it was a dream... I don't know, honestly."

Lemmy believed him. "So if she's this spirit... then we have to defend this gem... but what about the kingdom? We don't know a thing and-"

Suddenly, an explosion sounded nearby- right near the area Larry was currently in. Iggy and Lemmy looked at each other in horror, then back at the flames from the explosion.

"W-Was that explosion from that big aircraft?" Iggy asked, fearing for Larry's safety. "Larry... Lem, you think he's-"

Iggy paused. He noticed his brother was no longer standing next to him, and looked around the area. He gasped when he saw who had grabbed his tiny brother- ten blue armored creatures. The leader- the man in black- was very familiar to Iggy.

' _Lemmy... that man again... seriously, what is his deal with us?! Who cares, they've got Lemmy and I need to save him fast!'_

"Let him go!" He grabbed his wand quickly, ready for a fight, but the leader simply shook his head and extended his arm towards the captured Lemmy. Iggy froze, and the leader grinned, enjoying the power he knew he was holding over Iggy and Lemmy.

"Now I wouldn't move if I were you, damn pineapple.. unless you want to see your brother lose his head, hmm?" The leader smirked. Iggy grit his teeth- of course they'd try that move. He glanced over at Lemmy to assess how much trouble he was in.

Lemmy was kneeling on the ground, clearly by force, his arms bound behind his back. One of the armored creatures held Lemmy's head by his Mohawk and had his blade poised near his neck, ready to slice his head clean off if ordered. Iggy realized he had a huge problem- he wasn't exactly sneaky, but if one bad move happened... his brother was as good as dead. "What am I supposed to do?! If I try and fight them they may actually... But then again, I can't take on nine of these guys by myself!"

"Iggy... h-help me..." Lemmy tried to cry out, but was rudely interrupted by his captor, who shook his head rather harshly. Lemmy was seeing stars for a moment and he cried out once more in pain, which irritated the leader to no end for some reason.

"STOP BEING SO ANNOYING!" The leader's sudden yelling caused Lemmy to flinch and the blade cut him a little. Even though the cut was small, it still stung like mad and he tried to keep himself from crying.

"Lemmy!" Iggy was lost. How on earth had any of this happened in the first place? And how was he supposed to save Lemmy in one piece?

"So what do you say, Iggy?" the leader sneered. "Are you gonna listen and kneel down like a good pineapple, or do I have to teach you a lesson as well?"

Iggy rolled his eyes and simply answered, "I'm not kneeling to you. You're not our father."

The leader shrugged- he knew he'd basically won- and turned away. Snapping his fingers as he walked off, he ordered his soldiers to deal with the duo. In an instant, Iggy was overwhelmed by the much larger mass of whatever they were. They took his bag and wand before delivering a swift blow to his head, knocking him out. .

Lemmy started to struggle against his captor, feeling his chest tighten with sadness and anger. Iggy wasn't supposed to be in this! He should've just ran to find Larry and get them out of here... and of course, he somehow managed to get captured...

"Iggy! NO!" But he didn't get too far himself- his captor also hit him in the head with the handle of his sword. Dots started to flash before Lemmy's eyes, and the last thing he remembered was watching his little brother falling to a heap on the ground before his closed his eyes and blacked out.

* * *

 **I'm sorry Iggy/Lemmy! Didn't want to put you in such a trouble! Forgive me D:**

 **Let's just hope for the best!**

 **This would have been a longer chapter. I just split it into Chapter 14 and 15, because I didn't want to let more time pass without any update! So Chapter 15 is work in progress.**

 **About Cracking, next Chapter is work in progress to... and I know that everyone knows who will come next! Stay tuned!**

 **As usual, I would like to thank 'LuigiWife1551' for the beta read! Thank you so much!**

 **And of course, I would like to thank everyone that Favorited/Followed/Reviewed the story! Thank you so much!**

 **See ya~ Ah Ah!**


End file.
